Bleacher Report - Articles by Josh Rosenberg

It's a Stretch, But Rutgers Can Still Make the Gator Bowl

Josh Rosenberg — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:45:33 -0500

The game clock showed 00:00. The embarrassment was over. The score was Syracuse 31 Rutgers 14 and out came the laptops and post-game articles.

Article after article talked about how after getting crushed by the Orangemen, Rutgers lost all their chances of playing in the Gator Bowl come January 1. They claimed that now even if the Scarlet Knights win out they will go to the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

But here I am to tell all you Rutgers fans that the people who wrote these articles are wrong.

"Wrong?" asks the common Rutgers fan.

"Yes, WRONG!” I respond.

"But how could this be??" He/she inquires.

This is the part where I smirk and respond, "Well..."

Yes, they are all wrong. Despite what everyone else is saying, there is still a chance Rutgers will make the Gator Bowl.

There isn't necessarily a good chance, but there IS a slim one.

For Rutgers to make the Gator Bowl, there are three things must happen.

1. Rutgers must win out

This is the most obvious of the three and the most important. Instead of waking up early looking for big sales at stores, Rutgers will be in Louisville taking on the Cardinals in a Black Friday match up.

Louisville is at a humble 3-8 and this should be an easy win for Rutgers. Then again, that's what we thought about Syracuse and look what happened in that game.

Rutgers then plays West Virginia on December 5. This is another winnable game. If Rutgers can run the ball early and often (that means Joe Martinek should get 20 carries with a side of Jourdan Brooks' 5-10) instead of having freshman QB Tom Savage drop back thirty times behind a rag-tag offensive line, Rutgers' offense could be solid and they could come out with wins at both of these games.

This would put the Scarlet Knights' at 9-3. They would finish third in the Big East and would be first in line to make the Gator Bowl should the next two things occur.

2. Notre Dame must go 6-6.

Everyone loves to hate Notre Dame, Big East teams especially.

Right now Notre Dame sits at 6-5. They play Stanford this Saturday and if the Fighting Irish win they will most likely make the Gator Bowl. If they lose to Stanford, they will be out of consideration for it and the bowl will go to a Big East team.

Now you're probably going to say, "The bowl will go to Pitt regardless, who will be 10-2."

You have just gone by what all the other analysts and writers have said. Pitt will lose to Cincinnati and go 10-2. In No. 3, I present you with a startling alternative.

3. Pitt has to beat Cincinnati.

What if Pitt doesn't lose to Cincinnati?

It's a very possible situation. Cincinnati has played some very close games recently and Pitt is only three spots behind them in the BCS rankings.

If the Panthers can show the Bearcats who's top cat, they win the Big East and play in the Sugar Bowl against the loser of Alabama-Florida.

This means Cincinnati would still be 11-1 and would definitely get a BCS at-large bid, leaving the Gator Bowl to the next available suitor, Rutgers.

Although this might sound crazy, it really isn't that outrageous of an idea. It could very well be that all three of these factors will go in Rutgers' favor.

But instead of looking forward to and projecting what COULD happen in the future, we should all be focusing on what's directly ahead of Rutgers.

The one-game-at-a-time mentality is what worked so well at Rutgers and this Friday, at 11:00 am on ESPN2 the Knights must focus only on beating Louisville and worry about the rest after. This goes for us fans too.

Have a happy Thanksgiving and hopefully we'll be able to sit down at TVs and watch Rutgers play in Jacksonville, Florida on a later holiday, New Year's Day.

Keep chopping and GO RU!!

Jourdan Brooks: The Most Underrated and Underused Player At Rutgers

Josh Rosenberg — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:20:32 -0500

Cincinnati 47 Rutgers 15: Jourdan Brooks doesn't play.

Rutgers 45 Howard 7: Jourdan Brooks gets 17 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns, for an average of 7.3 yards per carry.

Rutgers 24 Florida International 15: Jourdan Brooks gets five carries.

Rutgers 34 Maryland 13: Jourdan Brooks gets 17 carries this time running solely up the middle and runs for 57 yards.

Rutgers 42 Texas Southern 0: Jourdan Brooks gets nine carries and runs for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Pittsburgh 24 Rutgers 17: Jourdan Brooks doesn't play and Martinek gets 10 carries. He runs for 23 yards and no touchdowns.

Rutgers 27 Army 10: Brooks gets four carries and runs for 30 yards averaging 7.5 yards per carry.

Rutgers 28 Uconn 24: Jourdan Brooks gets three carries, all three up the middle and averages 3.7 yards per carry. Joe Martinek runs 12 times and gains 32 yards. He averages 2.3 yards per carry.

According to Coach Schiano Jourdan Brooks was supposed to be splitting carries with Joe Martinek. Schiano however neglects to play him more than a few carries a game.

Brooks is a power back with surprising speed; much like Ray Rice was only more powerful and faster. He's proven himself over and over again this season and last season but to no avail.

He averages 4.9 yards a carry. That's 0.1 yards less than Joe Martinek. In the second game of the season he ran for 124 yards on only 17 carries while Joe Martinek ran for fewer yards the next game on 24 carries.

Let's also remember that it's been statistically proven that Rutgers offense is at its best when Brooks gets the bulk of the carries.

Don't forget that Brooks is the reason why Joe Martinek was able to run for 90 of 147 yards in the last few minutes against Maryland.

If you look Martinek's carries they were mostly in the second half while Brooks' were in the first half. Brooks was used in the first half to wear out the Maryland defense. Schiano likes to use him this way because then Martinek can use his speed to run away from the defenses late in games when the opposing defense is tired.

Brooks is basically a guaranteed first down in short yardage situations. I'm not sure what Schiano has against him that he never plays. Especially since recently Martinek hasn't been doing so well.

Want to know why the Rutgers offense was non-existent for almost the entire second half against UConn?? Look no further than the play calling of coach Schiano who ran Martinek up the middle on every run play that half.

Martinek finished with a whopping total of 32 yards that game and no touchdowns. He averaged 2.3 yards per carry. That game Jourdan Brooks ran for 11 yards on three carries. He produced more than a third of the amount of Martinek's rushing yards in a fourth of the number of carries that Martinek had.

Martinek is fast and very athletic but he isn't a power runner. If Rutgers wanted to be successful running up the middle Schiano should've put in Brooks whose specialty is running up the middle.

I understand Martinek has done very well and run for hundreds of yards against teams like Army, Maryland, and Florida International but those teams are ARMY, MARYLAND, and FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL.

Jourdan Brooks can do that too. He ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns against Howard, an FCS team and then hardly played in games except for Maryland where he was primarily the 1st half run-up-the-middle back.

Martinek has proven that he is great at running over mediocre defenses and infective against Big East teams with real defenses. In the Knights' three Big East games Martinek ran for 109 yards and one touchdown. That's an average of 36 yards per game. I'm sure how this is acceptable production for a starting running back.

In these three games Jourdan Brooks has played in one of them, where he had three carries. Brooks deserves his chance to be successful since Martinek has had three opportunities to and hasn't taken advantage any of the times.

It also makes sense to give Brooks the bulk of the carries because Rutgers offensive schemes need a running back with power. Brooks is that and more.

If he was used to run up the middle all those times against UConn, you can bet that Rutgers wouldn't have been down by four with thirty seconds left in the game and needed Tom Savage and Tim Brown to make an outstanding play and win.

Remember in 2007 when Rutgers upset then No. 2 South Florida? It was Ray Rice who ran to the left two yards, stiff-armed star defensive end and projected first round pick George Selvie, and scampered another ten yards for a key first down. If you want to watch it it's on Youtube.

Rutgers is playing South Florida this week and once again will be going against a George Selvie led defense. When it comes time to take on Selvie I doubt that Joe Martinek will be able to knock him to the ground like Rice did.

But I know a running back that can and his name is Jourdan Brooks.

He's the key to success with their running game and it would be great if Rutgers uses him and Joe Martinek and both do well. Maybe Schiano can even give some carries to DeAntwan "The Rocket" Williams, a highly recruited running back who has shown flashes of brilliance.

Whichever running back does play I'm looking forward to a great game this Thursday night against South Florida and hopefully all us Scarlet Knights fans will be watching Jourdan Brooks stiff-arm George Selvie and run all over the Bulls defense.

Go RU!

Rutgers-Maryland: The Scarlet Knights Can Shock the Shells with Five Steps

Josh Rosenberg — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:43:31 -0400

Rutgers beat Howard 45-7 and played great offense and good defense.

Rutgers beat Florida International and held them to no points for the first 54 minutes.

All 15 of Florida International's points were scored against Rutgers' second- and third-team defense.

This Saturday it will take a combination of the shutdown defense Rutgers showed against FIU and the dominant offense that put up 42 points against Howard in the first half alone to tackle the Terps.

Can Rutgers leave College Park with a win?

Rutgers will easily win if they follow these five easy steps.

1. Run the Football

It has been proven that when Rutgers running backs run more than 30 times a game, the whole offense does well.

The Knights have two able running backs who both have proven they can carry the load.

Joe Martinek had 121 yards on 23 carries against Florida International, and Jourdan Brooks had 124 yards and three touchdowns on only 17 carries against Howard.

Brooks barely got to play against Florida International despite proving himself the week before and the entire season before.

If the Knights want to have success on offense, the running backs must get at least 15 carries each.

2. Don't make Tom Savage do all the work

Time and time again Schiano has proven to be a bad offensive play caller. Please explain to me why freshman QB Tom Savage passed 28 times in the first half alone when Martinek got 23 carries and Brooks got only five.

Savage dropped back so often it's not surprising that one of the times he got sacked and injured.

I understand Savage is just a freshman and needs to pass a lot to get experience but he doesn't need to shoulder the entire offense.

Against Howard, Savage only passed 13 times, completing nine of those passes. He still broke the 200-yard mark that game and Maryland's defense isn't that much better than Howard’s.

With Brooks and Martinek leading the way all Savage has to do is be a game manager and make good passes when needed, instead of all the time.

3. A healthy Kordell Young is a great kick returner, not a featured running back

Another mistake Schiano has made was putting in Kordell Young too often last season. Young is oft-injured and had little success as the featured back.

His only 100-yard game was against Syracuse, which isn't that big of an accomplishment. He also just recovered from his most recent injury.

Knowing Schiano, Young will most likely start and not do as well as Brooks or Martinek could, throwing off their entire offense.

Since he is very fast, Young could go in towards the end of the game and play while the Terps defense is tired and won't be able to catch him.

But otherwise, playing Young when the other two running backs are available would be a waste.

4. Play Dominant "D" to stop Maryland's Darrel Scott and pressure the quarterback

Rutgers defense showed it can play great defense against Florida International. They recorded five sacks and finally played the swarming defense Rutgers is known for. The question will be if the defense can stop Maryland's running back Darrel Scott.

So far this season Scott has run for 273 yards on 43 carries, averaging an impressive 6.4 yards a carry.

Stopping Scott and pressuring quarterback Chris Turner, who threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns vs. Middle Tennessee is key to stopping the Maryland offense.

5. Don't Fear the Turtle, but don't let it bite you, either

Many fans say that this won't be a tough game for Rutgers. The Terps got demolished by California in the first game of the season, 52-13. They needed an overtime period to beat James Madison, an FCS team, by a field goal.

And let's not forget about last week's 32-31 loss to lowly Middle Tennessee.

Despite all this there is still reason to fear the Turtle.

Maryland is coming off a stretch of frustrating and downright embarrassing games and will be hungry to get a win. They are playing at home and are going to come into the game motivated to beat Rutgers and gain respect the little respect they can get.

There's such thing as upsets and Rutgers fans should know this very well. In 2007 Maryland came to Rutgers stadium to play then-No. 10 Rutgers and beat them 34-24, handing the Scarlet Knights their first loss of that season. If Coach Schiano and Rutgers aren't careful, this could happen again.

The Terps however, have a team to fear too. This team is Rutgers.

But to win, Rutgers has to stick with their game plan and not get overconfident.

Saturday's game:

Rutgers 35, Maryland 21

Rutgers Demolished by Cincy, But Don't Lose Hope Yet

Josh Rosenberg — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:27:25 -0400

The newly expanded Rutgers stadium was filled to its 52,000 seat limit. The newly added South end zone was teeming with ferocious Rutgers fans ready for the beginning of a new and promising season.

Even the cannon was back. Many people thought it would be gone since the new south end zone seats were put in its usual place.

Unfortunately, none of this or any player on Rutgers could stop Rutgers stadium from becoming the Bearcats' litter box.

The game started out with Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike completing his first six passes to march from their own 20-yard line to the end zone for a touchdown.

The Rutgers defense looked asleep in their first drive without head coach Greg Schiano as defensive coordinator. He relinquished his coordinator job in the summer so he could focus better on the entire team.

The Rutgers offense took the field and also marched down field, taking more than 10 minutes to move the ball and score on Joe Martinek's four yard run.

By the end of the first quarter, Rutgers and Cincinnati were tied 7-7.

"This is going to be a close game," thought the entire Rutgers stadium.

Little did anyone know what was about to come.

The scoreboard showed a familiar 24-7 score. This was the final score of last year's Labor Day game when Rutgers lost to Fresno State. This year's Labor Day game was worse since there was the same score as last year and it wasn't even halftime.

By the end of the game Cincinnati won convincingly 47-15.

The blame can't be attributed to one player or one unit, but what started it all was the mediocre play of the Rutgers offensive line.

The "best offensive line in the Big East" surrendered four sacks, the first two to quarterback Dom Natale on key third downs.

The run blocking was sad to watch as Joe Martinek had no room to run when trying to go up the middle. He had 15 carries for 54 yards.

“They didn’t show us anything we didn’t expect. I thought we came into the game well prepared,” Senior Center Ryan Blaszyzck said after the game. “They just played very well. They played better than we did.”

When Dom Natale had time in the pocket, he was decent and led a touchdown drive. He threw three interceptions while under pressure constantly, due to the offensive line woes.

One interception was a good pass, but it bounced off Tim Brown's hands and into the hands of Cincinnati's Aaron Webster. Another one was tipped and caught by Cincinnati. The third interception was completely Natale's fault as he threw the ball right into Cincinnati's hands with no Rutgers receiver within 10 yards of his pass.

These interceptions doomed three offensive drives and put Rutgers in a hole they couldn't get out of.

Greg Schiano made some bad personnel choices this game.

First he put in Jabu Lovelace, the fifth-year senior quarterback who looked clueless in the few plays that he wasted.

Lovelace threw two incompletions that weren't even close to his wide receivers and proved to everyone what we already knew. He is a terrible decision maker with an inaccurate arm that is just as bad as the decisions he makes.

The Bearcats' defense was ready for Lovelace to run and held him to minus-two yards on three carries.

The bottom line is Schiano wasted five plays with Lovelace under center. All five of those were at crucial points where the Scarlet Knights could've called a better play that might not have put them in second-and-long and third-and-long situations.

Another player who was absent for most of the game was Martinek's co-starter at running back Jourdan Brooks, who had three carries for 12 yards. I'm starting to think Greg Schiano has something against Brooks, who has proven himself over and over again during games and deserves to play more.

This shouldn't be a pass heavy offense and Martinek and Brooks should be the team’s rocks, solid runners who can both get 15 carries a game and move the ball.

The Rutgers defense was a sofa that the Bearcats quickly tore up.

Free safety Zaire Kitchen was injured early in the game, which hurt the defense. This was not the only reason Cincinnati had 576 yards of offense.

Dom Natale's interceptions all came right after the defense had been chasing down Cincinnati's receivers. They were already tired from that, and having to go out onto the field over and over again with little rest depleted the Knights of their energy the rest of the game.

This was a big reason for a lot of their defensive woes, and unless there are more interceptions the defense shouldn’t be this tired and this bad.

At the same time with or without interceptions Rutgers failed to execute on defense.

They were horrendous.

You’re supposed to cover receivers, not run behind them.

You’re supposed to make tackles, not miss them.

When 5'10", 190 pound Isaiah Pead is running down the line and you're trying to tackle him, you don't need to go for his legs, just push him out of bounds. At least if you’re going to dive for his legs you shouldn't miss.

Cincinnati didn't even punt until the fourth quarter.

The defense knew or should've known that the key to stopping Tony Pike and the Bearcats offense is to pressure him.

Tony Pike, much like Dom Natale, cracks under pressure. Schiano should've known this from the Orange Bowl when Frank Beamer's defense pressured Pike and he threw four interceptions.

Rutgers had almost zero pressure on Pike and only sacked him once. This wasn't the swarming and attacking defense for which Rutgers is known.

The proof that pressure works was even more evident when safety David Rowe blitzed and broke into the backfield. Pike was pressured and he threw the ball right into the hands of Rutgers' Alex Silvestro.

Why didn't Rutgers stick to this game plan?? Only Schiano and co-defensive coordinators Bob Fraser and Ed Pinkham know.

But don't lose all hope now Rutgers fans.

There were some bright spots in this game.

True freshman wide receiver Mohamed Sanu was great, recording 10 catches for 101 yards. Senior wideout Tim Brown also had a solid game catching seven passes for 86 yards.

Who says Rutgers needs Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood?

The best news is that despite the embarrassing loss to Cincinnati, Rutgers seems to have found their quarterback in true freshman Tom Savage.

Replacing Natale in the second half, Savage started out on a good note throwing a first down strike to an open Mohamed Sanu.

Savage completed 15-of-23 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown. He also converted a two point conversion pass.

Savage showed poise in the pocket, command of the offense, and was a good decision maker under pressure. He was sacked twice but didn't seem phased and continued to pass well.

He also showed his scrambling abilities running for a long first down when flushed out of the pocket.

Savage's best accomplishment was that he threw no interceptions.

Savage didn't make a rookie mistake until late in the fourth quarter when he was under pressure (the offensive line's fault) in the end zone.

He was supposed to throw a screen pass to Joe Martinek, but Martinek wasn't open. He threw the ball at the ground in front of a Cincinnati player and was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety.

Savage still is only a rookie but it's better that he made that mistake and will learn from it when Rutgers already has lost the game, rather than making that mistake against another team in a close game.

Although Schiano declined to name a starter at quarterback for next game, it looks like it could very well be Savage.

The Scarlet Knights' next games are against Howard, Florida International, Maryland, and Texas Southern. They are all cupcakes with the exception of Maryland, although they got beaten by Cal 54-13 in a game similar to Rutgers-Cincinnati.

Rutgers has Howard and Florida International to give Savage more time to develop and get more experience. If he doesn't bow under pressure and throw interceptions the defense will be better rested and won't be as horrendous as they were against Cincinnati.

They also have those two to work out all the other problems in the defense and get them back to the regular swarming Rutgers form we all know and love.

Cincinnati was tough. They are legitimate contenders that are already mistakenly being crowned this year's Big East champions by every ESPN analyst.

For all we know Rutgers could've just played their hardest game of the season. They only have one loss.

If there's anything Rutgers and their fans know best, it's how to be resilient.

Rutgers showed last season they can come back from losing and win games. There are six Big East games left. Winning the the Big East isn't out of the question for Rutgers.

But for now, the Scarlet Knights will use the one game at a time mentality that helped them finish last season winning seven straight games.

For now the focus is on the Howard Bison and only on them.

So, get ready Scarlet Knight fans.

Let Savage take on the Bison and see how he does. How many he can slaughter and bring back to roast.

If Savage plays the same way he did against Cincinnati, the offensive line lives up to their billing, and the defense learns how to tackle, the future isn't the only thing looking bright for Rutgers.

It still can be "R year."

Rutgers Football 2009: Receivers

Josh Rosenberg — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:11:05 -0400

Jan, 3, 2009: Kenny Britt, the best wide receiver in Rutgers' history decides to forgo his senior season and enter into the 2009 NFL draft. He takes with him 3,043 yards, the most ever by a Rutgers wide receiver.

Mar. 3, 2009: Junior wide receiver Dennis Campbell is dismissed from the team for violating team rules. He was a projected starter for the 2009 Rutgers football team and was the fourth leading wide receiver last season with 25 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown.

Sometime in late May, 2009: Senior wide receiver Tiquan Underwood graduates from Rutgers University. In 2007, he had a 1000-yard season and in 2008, he had 40 receptions for 494 yards and five touchdowns.

Now: Rutgers must fill the void left by these three receivers. Many fans ask how will a team that lost both starting wide receivers and one of their proven slot receivers accomplish such a feat as winning the Big East.

I think Tim Brown knows the answer to that.

The 5'8", 165 pound senior will take over for Kenny Britt as the No. 1 receiver. As Rutgers premier No. 3 receiver last season, Brown had 27 receptions for 565 yards and six touchdowns last year. He averages 19.8 yards a reception.

To go with very reliable hands, Brown has breakaway speed and is a deep threat every time he's in. He has had more than one 100-yard game, his best coming against Louisville last season when he had four receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

People say Tim Brown is too small to be a starter. They say he only was successful because he was left open by defenders who were covering Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood.

Does anybody remember the 2006 Texas Bowl?? Tiquan Underwood was injured in the previous game against West Virginia and couldn't play.

Tim Brown was the starter that game and against a good Kansas State defense he had four receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

And people said his height would stop him from being good.

Well football fans, after three seasons in Britt and Underwood's shadow, Tim Brown finally gets his chance this year to be the go-to wide receiver.

Tim Brown will be replacing Kenny Britt, but who is replacing Tiquan Underwood?

Enter true freshman Mohamed Sanu. The 6'3" Sanu is a big target who also happens to be a freak athlete. He came to Rutgers as an early enrollee for spring practice and was supposed to be a safety.

After moving his way up to second on the depth chart, Sanu was moved to wide receiver and was a first team receiver after only a week of practicing. He has speed and an array of juking, spinning, and other moves to shake defenders and gain yards.

If anybody watched the Scarlet and White game you will have seen Sanu's three receptions for 43 yards including a 17-yard touchdown in which he caught a three-yard pass from Dom Natale, juked two defenders, and ran the other 14 yards into the end zone.

These don't look like impressive stats, but Sanu didn't play the whole game.

Coach Greg Schiano named Sanu the other starter opposite Tim Brown.

People say most freshmen have a hard time adjusting to college their first year. Sanu feels he isn't one of them.

"I feel very comfortable in the offense." Sanu said.

Remember that in 2006, during Rutgers' 11-2 season, freshman wide receiver Kenny Britt started right away and quickly became the go-to receiver for Mike Teel.

I'm not saying Sanu is the next Kenny Britt, as they are two different players.

Maybe Sanu could be even better than Britt was.

Julian Hayes will take over Tim Brown's old role as the Knights' primary slot receiver. He saw action in 12 games last fall. The 6'1" junior is second among returning wide receivers with a whopping one catch for nine yards.

He and Sanu battled for the second wide receiver spot and made a pretty good case to be the starter. During one scrimmage he had seven catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns.

Keith Stroud will most likely take Dennis Campbell's fourth receiver job. A redshirt freshman out of Brooklyn, New York Stroud is 6'4" and possesses a Larry Fitzgerald-like leaping ability. He excels at catching jump balls when being covered and usually brings them down. He doesn't have blazing speed, but he has power and is athletic enough to get open on plays.

Junior Mason Robinson should also see some playing time. Robinson was a running back his first two seasons but was switched to wide receiver due to a lack of depth. He has the raw speed to be a very good deep threat and can definitely catch out of the backfield. If he improves on his route running he could be a dangerous weapon.

Other players who should get some playing time are redshirt freshmen Tim Wright, Marcus Cooper, Pat Brown, and Eddie Poole.

Senior wide receiver Andrew DePaola will not get any time because he also plays long snapper, and according to Schiano, DePaola is "too good of a long snapper to risk him getting injured while playing wideout." Rutgers will miss his down-field blocking skills.

At tight end is returning starter Shamar Graves. The 6'3" junior is a great receiving tight end who improved his blocking skills over the offseason. He was the Big East's second leading tight end in receiving yards (227) behind only Pittsburgh’s Nate Byham. He also scored three touchdowns.

The battle for No. 2 tight end is where this gets interesting.

No, it's not between highly touted tight end recruits Paul Carrezola and Malcolm Bush.

Walk-on freshman Tony Trahan and quarterback-turned-tight end D.C. Jefferson are currently battling it out. Tony Trahan had more practice at tight end and it is his natural position.

The rocket-armed D.C. Jefferson played quarterback all of spring practice and most of summer practice. He has unrealistic arm strength. One pass he attempted during spring practice went 80 yards, far over the receiver's head. His problem was that he struggled heavily with his accuracy

Jefferson is the more intriguing of the two because at 6'6", 230 pounds he definitely has the size and blocking abilities to be a good tight end. Did I mention he's fast?

If D.C. can catch the ball, then he will be a dangerous tight end and could be the starter after Graves graduates. If he plays well enough, he has the potential to maybe even take the starting job from Graves next season.

Overall, there’s too much depth and raw talent for a reliable receiver or two not to break out from this group, and quarterbacks Dom Natale and Tom Savage should have enough weapons to throw to to be successful.

Rutgers Football 2009: Offensive Line

Josh Rosenberg — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:25:12 -0400

During the first half of the Rutgers season, the offensive line played poorly as senior quarterback Mike Teel found himself constantly pressured and sacked. Teel was never the best decision-maker under pressure and this forced him to make some very bad throws, which resulted in Rutgers’ 1-5 start last season.

Offensive line Coach Kyle Flood reshuffled the line, adding Art Forst into the lineup at right guard, benching fifth-year senior Mike Gilmartin, moving Kevin Haslam to right tackle, and switching Caleb Ruch from right to left guard.

The new offensive line played a lot better. Mike Teel had lots of time in the pocket, which resulted in him throwing for 3,415 yards and 25 touchdowns that season. Teel threw four interceptions the second half of the season compared to eight in the first half of the season.

With Mike Teel gone, can this line provide Rutgers’ new quarterback Dom Natale enough protection to be successful?

It looks like the answer is yes, since the Knights return all five starters on what should be the best offensive line in the Big East and could be one of the top lines in college football. This season the Scarlet Knights definitely have power in the trenches.

The Starting Five:

Manning the left tackle position is junior Anthony Davis, a homegrown 6'6" lineman from Piscataway, N.J. He was a freshman all-American in 2007 and a first-team All-Big East lineman in 2008.

A preseason Outland Trophy candidate, All-Big East lineman and projected NFL first round draft pick, Davis has taken on the likes of George Selvie in the past and the preseason “Big East Defensive Player of the Year” and held him to no sacks.

The right tackle position belongs to Kevin Haslam. A versatile player, Haslam can play tackle or guard, excelling at both positions. Last season he started at left guard but was moved to right tackle to replace the struggling Mike Gilmartin.

At center is preseason Rimington Award candidate Ryan Blaszczyk. Blaszczyk is in his third year as a starter and has helped hold together one of the Big East’s top lines his past two seasons. More of the same should ensue.

Art Forst and Caleb Ruch will start at the guard spots. Ruch, a redshirt sophomore, started all twelve games last year, first at right guard then on the left. Ruch has proven himself a very good run blocker.

The 6’8" Forst is a true sophomore who started the last eight games of the season at right guard and was a big part in the offensive line’s success.

He is also on the same path Anthony Davis took as a freshman.

Forst, like Davis, was a top offensive line recruit who started his true freshman season as the backup right guard. They both took over a few games into the season and excelled right away. If Anthony Davis skips his senior year and leaves for the NFL draft after this season, Forst will most likely be moved to left tackle just like Anthony Davis was after tackle Pedro Sosa graduated.

The Backups:

Matthew Hardison, Howard Barbieri, and Desmond Stapleton are versatile and reliable backups who have proven they are ready to come in and play if there is an injury. Devon Watkis and Desmond Wynn are the other two backups. All the backups have had previous playing time.

This unit has had a year to grow together and expect fewer sacks than last year, less pressure on Dom Natale, and more production from Natale and the running backs.

Rutgers Football 2009: Running Backs

Josh Rosenberg — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:23:47 -0400

In the 2008 season, Rutgers had four running backs who rushed for a combined 1664 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Besides Mason Robinson—who was moved to wide receiver—the other three running backs return, each eager to win the starting role all to himself.

Redshirt sophomores Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek are the leading candidates for the starting running back role.

For a while, Jourdan Brooks was the ESPN favorite—famous for getting an entire piece of his dreadlocks pulled out by Louisville's Travis Norton, who tackled Brooks by his hair. Brooks was prevented from having a 90 plus-yard touchdown run.

It took Ray Rice three seasons to get a 90-yard touchdown run.

Brooks shouldn't be famous for just being pulled for losing his hair. A bruising back with surprising speed, the 6'1", 230-pound Brooks is a bigger, faster, and more powerful version of Ray Rice.

As a freshman, Brooks led the Knights in touchdowns last season with six. He had 100 carries for 516 yards and averaged roughly 5.2 yards per carry.

Brooks is almost a guaranteed first down if you use him on third and short situations. He also has surprising speed that people don't usually mention. Although he is not as fast as his fellow running backs Joe Martinek and Kordell Young, he has enough speed to break long runs.

This wasn't only evident in the almost 90-yard touchdown run when Brooks was pulled down by his hair. One time during training camp, while practicing against the first-team offense, Brooks took a handoff from Mike Teel, lost a shoe, and still ran for a 60-yard touchdown with only one shoe on.

He could be used in the exact same way Ray Rice was and could definitely be called upon to get 25 carries a game if needed. Based on his YPC average, if he received 30 carries a game like Ray Rice did, he would be an 1800 plus-yard rusher.

Jourdan Brooks would be getting the bulk of the carries if Joe Martinek wasn't there to say otherwise. Martinek, also a redshirt sophomore, came into Rutgers as New Jersey's all-time leader in rushing yards.

At 6'1", 215-pounds he is a little smaller than Brooks, but he's faster and more athletic. He also still can run with power.

On 76 carries he ran for 404 yards averaging 5.3 yards a carry. If he got 30 carries a game like Rice did, he would be 1900 plus-yard rusher.

This spring, Martinek got to play for most of the practices as the only first-team running back when Brooks and Young had spring practice-ending injuries early on.

Martinek is also a jack-of-all-trades player. Besides his running back duties, Joe ran the "Wildknight formation," which is Rutgers' version of the Wildcat formation.

In Rutgers' first ever play in this formation, Martinek took the handoff and scampered 45 yards into the end zone untouched.

He also plays on special teams covering kicks.

The Knights also have redshirt junior Kordell Young returning. The 5'9", 190-pound Young lead the Scarlet Knights in rushing yards last season with 554 yards, while averaging 3.9 yards a carry.

He is extremely fast and agile but runs with little power and was stopped short at the line of scrimmage often last year. Having power is a must in Rutgers' offense, and Young isn't powerful enough to be the primary feature back.

Young got injured often, which forced him to miss many games over the last two seasons. He also has been injured for almost the entire spring and summer training camps and will most likely not be ready to play come the season opener against Cincinnati.

He is a great open field runner, which is something he has had little chance to do. When he returns from his current injury, he will be a great change of pace running back and kick returner, very much like Leon Washington and Darren Sproles.

Freshman DeAntwan Williams drew comparisons to Rutgers' great Ray Rice from scouts and coaches.

At 5'8", 195-pounds he is around the same size as Rice and possesses Rice's uncanny power for such a small player.

He is faster than Rice was and can be compared to a fellow Williams with the same number—Deangelo Williams, No. 34 on the Carolina Panthers.

Since he won't be needed for this year, Williams will most likely be redshirted. But look for him to light up the college football scoreboards in future seasons.

Senior fullback Jack Corcoran returns to block the way for the Big East's top rushing unit. He is a three-year starter and has improved his run blocking each year. In 2008, Corcoran had 19 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns.

His season was capped by a six-catch, 62-yard performance. In one play, he made a spectacular one-handed catch with help from his helmet—reminiscent of David Tyree’s catch in Super Bowl XLII.

Greg Schiano says he wants just one feature back, and that Martinek and Brooks will both get 25 carries a game, although, that is highly unlikely. Not using one of these talented players would be a huge waste of a scholarship.

Both Brooks and Martinek should get 15 carries a game, which would take a lot of pressure off Rutgers' new quarterback.

Here's the link for the Jourdan Brooks being tackled by his hair video.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3748129&categoryid=null

Joe Paterno wants Rutgers in the Big Ten, I want Penn State in the Big East

Josh Rosenberg — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:23:07 -0400

In the beginning of the summer, Joe Paterno said at a press conference that he wanted another team to join the Big Ten—really the Big Eleven. This way, the Big Ten would have 12 teams and could split into two divisions and have a conference championship game at the end of the regular season.

Paterno told reporters, "I've tried to talk to the Big Ten people about, 'Let's get a 12th team -- Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt -- we could have a little bit of a playoff.'"

Then, a few weeks ago I read an article on Bleacher Report about how Rutgers is a perfect fit for the Big Ten. It made a lot of sense why they should join, and the Scarlet Knights could be a good fit in the Big Ten.

Moving to the Big Ten might provide Rutgers more opportunities to play in a better bowls, make a lot more money, and grow as a program, but Rutgers is already growing quite well.

You know what Mr. Paterno?

Instead of Rutgers leaving the Big East and having to charter a flight to every school besides Ohio State and Penn State, why not have Penn State join the Big East?

After all, Penn State technically is on the East coast. If teams like Pittsburgh and West Virginia, who are farther to the west, are in the Big East, why not Penn State?

If Penn State joined the Big East, the Big Ten's name could actually be the same as the number of teams that they have.

And let's not stop at just adding one team, why not steal JoePa's idea and expand the Big East to twelve teams?

With twelve teams, the Big East could split into two divisions and have a conference championship game.

There are many teams who can fill the other three remaining spots in the Big East.

The first one is Notre Dame.

As a perennial powerhouse in football with a rich tradition, Notre Dame makes the most sense. It already is in the Big East for every sport besides for football; why not football too?

Notre Dame is already partially affiliated with the Big East in football. They share the Big East's bowl agreements but get their own, special conditions for it.

The Sun Bowl and Gator Bowl's agreements are as follows:

"The BIG EAST and Big 12 Conferences — along with Notre Dame — forged a bowl partnership beginning in 2006. This agreement assures both BCS Conferences’ and Notre Dame’s participation in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl and Brut Sun Bowl over a four-year period. The Konica Minolta Gator Bowl or Brut Sun Bowl will pick a BIG EAST team after the league’s representative to the Bowl Championship Series has been determined. The Atlantic Coast Conference will provide the opposition in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl and the Pac-10 Conference will participate in the Brut Sun Bowl.

The Gator Bowl has the first selection at the conclusion of each season. During the four years of the deal, the BIG EAST (or Notre Dame) will send a team to both the Gator Bowl and the Sun Bowl twice."

If Notre Dame is not selected to participate in the Bowl Championship Series, then they would replace a Big East selection by either bowl game if bowl eligible."

To be eligible for the Gator/Sun Bowl, Notre Dame just has to win at least eight games, something that isn't so hard for it to do. If this happens, the Big East loses the Gator/Sun Bowl, and as usual, gets screwed.

With this plan, Notre Dame won't have any unfair bowl advantages, but still keeps their same bowl ties and if anything has a better chance of making it to a BCS Bowl.

Irish fans will say joining the Big East will force Notre Dame to play a Big East conference schedule; they wouldn't be able to play teams like USC and Michigan.

Actually, the Irish still could play those teams as their non-conference foes.

They already play a Big East team every year, and will have to play eight Big East teams every season.

They're still welcome to schedule four games against USC, Michigan, Navy, Army, or whatever four they want to, without ruining any traditions.

Notre Dame also has many fans on the East coast who rarely get to go to Notre Dame games and have to watch them on TV.

If Notre Dame joins the Big East, they will be playing near many cities where Notre Dame has lots of fans. This would lead to an increase in ticket sales for all the Big East teams, plus for Notre Dame when it sells its away game tickets.

The 11th team to join could be East Carolina.

East Carolina is a perennial Conference USA contender and has proved it can go blow for blow against major-conference teams.

Last year, ECU had wins against West Virginia and Virginia Tech. This year many predict them to win C-USA, be a Top 25 team, and some analysts even predicted them to go undefeated and make a BCS bowl.

East Carolina has 27,391 students, so school size is not an issue.

East Carolina also fits in the Big East because East Carolina is actually is in the East.

If the Big East can't get ECU, it could try to get the University at Buffalo to join.

Just last year, Buffalo won it's first ever MAC Championship, beating then-undefeated Ball State University. Buffalo is a program on the rise. They might not have a winning season in their first two-three seasons in the Big East, but Buffalo could be a contender in the near future.

Buffalo has 28,192 students, so school size-wise they are big enough too.

The 12th team in the Big East could be Villanova University.

Villanova is an FCS powerhouse and plays in the Colonial Athletic Association, the toughest conference in the FCS. The conference produced last year's FCS National Champion, the Richmond Spiders.

It also has teams like Delaware and James Madison, who are both preseason Top 25 teams. Last year, Villanova finished ranked sixth in the final FCS poll. This year, Villanova goes into the season ranked fifth and predicted to share the CAA title with Richmond.

Villanova is also already a member of the Big East in other sports. By having Villanova, one of the top teams in the FCS, make the jump to the FBS, the Big East would only have to add two new teams (ECU and Buffalo) to its basketball conference making the number of teams 18.

Villanova University is in Philadelphia, which currently has no major college football team. Villanova can be the school that brings college football to Philly. Villanova can play in the Eagles football stadium to make more money from ticket sales, and although it is not likely that they could fill all the seats, they can probably sell 20-25,000 seats a game.

Here's what the conference would look like:

Big East North:

West Virginia, Pitt, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Syracuse, UCONN

Big East South:

Penn State, Rutgers, USF, Villanova, East Carolina, and Louisville

The divisions will pretty much be equally balanced.

This newer, bigger conference would finally give Big East teams the respect that they deserve, should lead to better bowl ties, better recruiting, and of course, now the BCS' most important factor: more money.

For now, this will not happen, but remember, we're talking about college football.

And anything can happen in college football.

Defense Wins Championships

Josh Rosenberg — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:56:34 -0400

There has been something that has been bothering me since I've started following football two preseasons ago.

Every year there is a team or two in people's preseason Top 25 whose basis for success is their performance from the year before and how many starters the team returns on offense. They do this while completely neglecting the fact that some of these teams return very few players—sometimes none—sometimes only one player on defense.

The so called "experts" still think the team will be good, and the team ends up being worse than predicted and never lives up to that year's expectations. (Cough, cough BYU and West Virginia last year.)

The only exceptions to this are for big-time recruiting teams like Ohio State and USC, who have top 10 recruiting classes every year.

After my recent encounter with a prediction like this I've had enough.

Athlonsports.com predicted the Cincinnati Bearcats football team to be number eighteen and to win the Big East. An unnamed writer for Bleacher report has them at 19.

The Bearcats return All Big East quarterback Tony Pike and preseason All American wide receiver Marty Gilyard, along with most of their offense.

The slight problem here is that they return one starter on defense.

I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I respect every one of them. However, how can a team with one starter back on defense expect to be a top-25 team?

I highly doubt that a team can win the Big East with one defensive starter. It’s not like the bearcats lost star defensive tackle Terryl Byrd, two-time All Big East CB Mike Mickens, and eight other starters.

Oh wait, they did.

I think history will help prove my point better for those who are not convinced.

The Rutgers Football team in 2007 was the first team ever to have a 3,000 yard passer (Mike Teel), a 2,000 yard rusher (Ray Rice), and two 1,000 yard receivers (Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood) all in one season. They averaged 37 points a game.

So how come they only went 8-5 when they were ranked No. 12 preseason? Well, they had six returning starters from a top five defensive squad. The defense and whole team looked great on paper.

It was too bad the five new starters didn't perform close to as well as the five who graduated. They were not good enough, as the defense repeatedly lost games for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers was beating lowly Louisville 28-9 at halftime in '07, and they ended up losing to Louisville 41-39.

I'm sorry, but you can't expect the offense to just make up for the defense's poor performance.

That’s why it's called a football team. Not just the football offense.

Last year, people thought BYU would go undefeated and make a BCS bowl just because they returned a big portion of their offense, led by QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga.

What people failed to realize or mention in their previews was that BYU had two starters back on defense. Lucky for them, they play in the mountain west and they went 10-2. But just like I had predicted, Utah won the MWC and made it to a BCS Bowl. BYU came in third place.

When BYU played Texas Christian, a team that finished ahead of BYU with a 10-2 record and a lot harder of a schedule, they got killed. Max Hall and Harvey Unga were stopped by the defense and TCU's average offense scored 32 points compared to BYU's seven.

Last year West Virginia was predicted to win the Big East. They were the unanimous favorite because they returned All Big East quarterback Pat White. Running back Noel Devine also showed he was ready to take over for Steve Slaton, who had left for the NFL. They also had many other playmakers on offense back.

There was a slight problem, however. The Mountaineers returned four starters back on defense.

West Virginia went 8-4 in 2008 and came in third place in the Big East, but instead of going to the Orange Bowl, they went to the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

The reason Texas Tech improved from an 8-4 team to a 11-1 team was not just from Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree. Their defense started to play a lot better in 2008. Their defense just happened to suck when they lost to Oklahoma 66-21 last year.

The Arizona Cardinals went from a shootout happy team that won the worst division in the NFL to the best team in the NFC because their defense started to play well.

So to all you "experts": Stop picking a team to win the Big East just because they were good the year before and they return a lot of offensive playmakers.

Look at this year's NFL champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and learn from them.

Defense wins championships.

Josh's NFL Mock Draft: Round One.

Josh Rosenberg — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:13:17 -0400

1. Detroit Lions: Jason Smith OT, Baylor

The Lions need a franchise quarterback, but they also need an offensive lineman.

The reason the Lions had to play third-stringers Dan Orlovsky and Daunte Culpepper at quarterback in the first place was because the offensive line couldn’t protect Jon Kitna and Drew Stanton.

The Lions could draft Matthew Stafford or Mark Sanchez at quarterback, but it doesn’t matter how good Stafford and Sanchez are if their team’s offensive line can’t provide any protection. Either one would get sacked repeatedly and be forced to make throws under pressure.

With that in mind, Smith would be a great fit at left tackle, opposite second-year tackle Gosder Cherilus.

If the Lions really are desperate for a quarterback, they can draft Kansas State’s Josh Freeman at No. 20, look to trade for a QB like Brady Quinn or sign Michael Vick if he’s out of prison.

2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT, Virginia

With Orlando Pace gone, the Rams need a new left tackle if they want to keep quarterback Marc Bulger healthy. Monroe can start on the Rams line for years to come.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, OLB, Wake Forest

The Chiefs get an all-around great linebacker to complement Mike Vrabel. Curry is the most NFL-ready prospect in this draft.

4. Seattle Seahawks: Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas

The Seahawks need a lot of help with pass and rushing defense. They still need a pass-rushing defensive end. Orakpo’s specialty and ideal position is as a four-three defensive end, which is exactly what he will play for the Seahawks.

5. Cleveland Browns: Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

The Browns need another pass-catcher. Badly.

Donte’ Stallworth faces as many as 15 years in jail on vehicular manslaughter charges in Florida. Braylon Edwards might be traded.

Joe Jurevicius was released in March. Josh Cribbs isn’t even a No. 2 wide receiver.

By drafting Crabtree, the Browns get more than a No. 2 receiver: They get a Larry Fitzgerald.

6. Cincinnati Bengals: Andre Smith, OT, Alabama

The Bengals recently signed defensive tackle Tank Johnson, so Boston College’s B.J Raji isn’t likely to go here.

Smith, on the other hand, is a great fit. If the Bengals’ O-line had protected Carson Palmer last season, the offense wouldn’t have struggled so much.

Smith can protect Palmer while also being a tremendous run blocker for Cedric Benson

7. Oakland Raiders: B.J. Raji, DT, Boston College

One reason the Raiders defense gave up 159.7 yards rushing per game last season was because it lacked a big, run-stuffing defensive tackle.

Raji is just that. He could start from Game one, and greatly help the Raiders defense against the run.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Matthew Stafford, QB, Georgia

Current quarterback David Garrard seems like he could be a one-year wonder.

If Stafford doesn’t start immediately, the Jaguars could groom and develop him for a season. Or they could trade Garrard for a wide receiver.

9. Green Bay Packers: Aaron Maybin, DE, Penn State

The Packers need a defensive end to replace Aaron Kampman, who will move to outside linebacker in the team’s new three-four scheme.

Maybin fits there. He can also play linebacker if the team moves Kampman back to the line.

10. San Francisco 49ers: Michael Oher, OT, Mississippi

The space-eating Oher would be a great fit at right tackle, opposite Joe Staley.

Oher would provide great protection for either Shaun Hill or Alex Smith, who are competing for the starting quarterback job.

11. Buffalo Bills: Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee

Aaron Schobel is getting old and missed 11 games last year, though he’s adamant that he can still play well.

We can’t say that much about the other side of the defensive line and that spot is Ayers’ for the taking.

12. Denver Broncos: Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU

Tyson Jackson is an ideal fit at three-four defensive end, which he will play in the Broncos defense.

13. Washington Redskins: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC

It seems like the Redskins want anybody to be their quarterback besides Jason Campbell.

If they choose Sanchez, they can trade Campbell away for a second or third-round draft pick and use it to get a defensive end.

14. New Orleans Saints: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State

The Saints need help at cornerback and safety, and the 6’1” Jenkins can play either position.

Some believe the Saints should take Chris Wells—another Buckeye—and use him as a power back with Reggie Bush.

However, Iowa tailback Shonn Greene should still be on the board in round three.

15. Houston Texans: Clay Matthews, OLB, USC

The Texans need a safety as well, so Western Michigan's Louis Delmas could be another choice here.

But the Texans would like an outside linebacker, and Matthews would be a great complement to middle linebacker Demeco Ryans.

16. San Diego Chargers: Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC

The Chargers want a big-hitting linebacker, and Maualuga is just what they ordered.

Arizona State offensive tackle Eben Britton could be the pick if Maualuga is off the board.

17. New York Jets: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

The Jets would be thrilled if Maclin fell this far. He is a receiver with great speed, and is another great weapon for whoever the Jets’ quarterback will be.

18. Denver Broncos: Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State

Because of injuries, the Broncos had to rely on backup running backs for most of last year, and never had a true starter.

They all were successful because former coach Mike Shanahan was good at developing tailbacks. We don’t know if Josh McDaniels can do the same.

Wells is a powerful running back, and possesses speed as well. He should start immediately.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Everette Brown, DE, FSU

The Bucs could use help at defensive tackle, but they need a pass rusher more. Brown can also play outside linebacker if needed.

It would almost be a steal to get Brown at No. 19, because he’s drawing interest from teams higher up, including the Redskins at No. 13.

20. Detroit Lions: Peria Jerry, DT, Mississippi

Jerry will replace the hole left by Corey Redding after Redding was traded to the Seahawks. He should improve Detroit’s D-line and run-stopping greatly.

21. Philadelphia Eagles: Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers

Britt isn’t the third-best wide receiver in this draft, but the Eagles should pick him over Percy Harvin and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Harvin has been described as being in “Percy Harvin Land” by scouts, and could end up being a Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson type. The Eagles already had to deal with one Owens, and likely don't want another.

Heyward-Bey is not as big as Britt and has sometimes been described as having inconsistent hands, while Britt has been more consistent in his workouts.

Philly also needs a big receiver like the 6’3” Britt to go along with 5’10” DeSean Jackson.

22. Minnesota Vikings: Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland

Heyward-Bey is the fastest receiver in this draft, with a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash.

He’ll fit well with No. 1 receiver Bernard Berrian, and can help new quarterback Sage Rosenfels if Rosenfels wins the starting job.

23. New England Patriots: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois

The Pats really missed Asante Samuel last year. They won’t miss him this year with Davis lining up at cornerback.

Outside linebacker Brian Cushing also is a possibility here.

24. Atlanta Falcons: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC

The last of the USC linebacker trio will replace Michael Boley at linebacker to restore some roar to Atlanta’s defense.

If Peria Jerry is still on the board, the Falcons could take him instead.

25. Miami Dolphins: Darius Butler, CB, Connecticut

The Dolphins need a wide receiver and cornerback. Wideouts are plentiful this year, and they can get a good one in the second round.

The same thing can’t be said about the cornerbacks. Draft Butler in the first round and pick a receiver among Ohio State’s Brian Robiskie, UNC’s Brandon Tate, or Georgia’s Mohamed Massaquoi in the second.

26. Baltimore Ravens: James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State

The Ravens are built on defense and need to find a replacement for Bart Scott, who signed with the Jets.

The team also needs a quality receiver, and should still be able to get one in the second round.

27. Indianapolis Colts: Evander Hood, DT, Missouri

The Colts need “Ziggy” to help with run-stopping and take some pressure off Dwight Freeney in pass rushing. A new middle linebacker would be nice, too.

28. Buffalo Bills: Eben Britton, OT, Arizona

After trading away Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, this is the only logical pick, unless the Bills want Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew that badly.

29. New York Giants: Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina

The G-Men need a replacement for Plaxico Burress. Their ideal fit would’ve been the 6’3” Michael Crabtree or the 6’3” Kenny Britt.

Neither of them should be left by now and the 6’1” Nicks is the most Burress-like of the remaining wide receivers. He also has the best hands of anyone in the draft.

30. Tennessee Titans: Percy Harvin, WR, Florida

Harvin might slip because of his attitude, but there is no way he should slip out of the first round.

The Titans lack a No. 1 receiver. Harvin can be that, and also run the Wildcat formation for Tennessee.

31. Arizona Cardinals: Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia

It seems Edgerrin “Edge” James has lost his edge, while Moreno definitely still has his.

Moreno is a speedy and athletic running back that will look great alongside the powerful Tim Hightower.

32. Pittsburgh Steelers: Alex Mack, C, California

The Steelers’ only weak point won’t be weak anymore with Mack at center.

He not only plays his position well but also helps solidify the middle of the line, and should help make both guards into better lineman.

I'm not going to be able to respond for a few weeks but feel free to comment with feedback and criticism anyway, and I'll try my best to respond.

Thanks, Josh

Five Reasons for Brett Favre To Come Out of Retirement—Again

Josh Rosenberg — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:29:27 -0500

People said Brett Favre made a mistake by coming out of retirement this past season. Whether this is true or not, Favre made an even bigger mistake by retiring again after his 9-7 season with the Jets.

What the haters and critics don't realize is that Brett Favre is perfect for this year's New York Jets football team.

1. Run-First Offense

During Rex Ryan's first press conference as the coach of the Jets, he told reporters, "We'll run the ball more this year." This is very smart considering the Jets have Thomas Jones, who ran for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns and led the AFC in rushing last season.

They also have the explosive Leon Washington, who ran for 448 yards on only 76 carries for an average of 5.9 yards a carry and six touchdowns. Washington also had 47 receptions for 355 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 7.6 yards per catch.

This run-first style of offense fits Favre's situation greatly. At 39 years old, he is an old man by NFL standards. One reason for the Jets' collapse was Favre's mediocre play. He threw nine interceptions in the last four games.

Part of this was due to a torn bicep in Favre's right arm. The other part was because he is old and was throwing too many passes for his arm not to get tired and worn out toward the end of the season.

With the run-first offense, Favre will have to pass a lot less. This way he will have full arm strength and accuracy all season. Since Favre is passing less, he will throw fewer interceptions, which is something the legendary quarterback was known for.

2. The System

Another year on the Jets means another whole offseason to learn the playbook and get to establish a better relationship with the rest of the players on the team. Favre was expected to learn the Jets' playbook, offensive schemes, and strategies a month before the season started.

Yes, he had the whole season to learn it better, but balancing that and the opposing team's defensive strategy, film, and just having practice didn't help him learn everything at an amazingly fast pace.

3. Don't Quit after the First Try

What do I do if I'm a great cyclist and I stop riding a bicycle? Get rid of my bike, then decide I want to try to win the Tour de France again, and ride for a bit only to fall off my bike and lose the race because I tore a ligament in my leg?

I would get right back onto that bike and try to win the Tour de France again, especially if, as in the Jets' case, that bike got a major tune-up for the better.

4. This Year's Sleeper

What people—and I guess Brett Favre himself—don't realize is that the Jets can be an even better version of this year's Tennessee Titans.

The running back tandem of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are mirror images of the Titans' speedy and powerful LenDale White and the explosive Chris Johnson.

The big, disruptive, run-stopping defensive tackle Kris Jenkins is the big, disruptive, run-stopping Albert Haynesworth.

Cornerback Darelle Revis—could he be the next Chris Carr?

Add in old veteran quarterback Favre, who is like the Titans' veteran quarterback Kerry Collins.

The biggest difference between the two teams is Favre versus Collins. The Titans' four losses last season were all attempts to come back from behind, usually needing a long drive downfield. Collins proved that he couldn't lead those drives anymore while Favre is known for being able to do this.

With Favre on the team, the Jets have the potential to be able to beat a Tom Brady-run Patriots team.

5. If Not Favre, Who Else?

The Jets' options are:

1. Kellen Clemens: Proved to have horrible decision-making. Clemens has to wind up completely to throw for 30 yards, while Favre barely has to fling his arm.

2. Brett Ratliff: Untested in a real game but was impressive during preseason games and showed a Favre-like style of play.

3. Erik Ainge: Last year's fifth-round pick out of University of Tennessee.

4. Draft Someone: Either Georgia's Matt Stafford or USC's Mark Sanchez. Hey, It worked for the Ravens with Joe Flacco in the 18th pick. The Jets have the 17th pick and Rex Ryan worked for the Ravens last year.

This was rare and most first-rounders end up like JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn when forced to play early on in their careers.

5. Free Agents: Jeff Garcia, Byron Leftwich, Kyle Boller, Rex Grossman, and Chris Simms. This doesn't sound that appealing, even to the Lions. Actually, maybe the Lions.

Favre has better arm strength and a quicker release than anyone else that they currently have or will get.

We can see Favre is a perfect fit for the new Jets.

I just ask you, Mr. Favre: Try one more year, get back on that bicycle for one last race, one last season.

Forget last year. This is the year of Broadway Brett.

Josh's Thoughts on This Week in Sports

Josh Rosenberg — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:45:25 -0500

Throughout the entire college football season I have had numerous thoughts and ideas about college football and other sports. However, because of school I have had little time to write. Also many of these ideas aren't long enough to be written as a real article.

Now, I have finally found a solution. To start off the New Year, I will be writing a weekly article featuring my thoughts and ideas about different sports. I hope you all enjoy them.

I am predicting the Super bowl to be Panthers vs. Ravens.

Here are some other matchups that I would like to see:

Eagles vs. Chargers

Four weeks ago nobody could guess that these two teams would even make the playoffs, with the exception of their loyal fans. Now both teams made the playoffs with last-week-of-the-season upsets. The Chargers made the playoffs with a losing record in the horrid AFC West while the Eagles demolished the Cowboys 42-3 to win the wild card.

The Comebacks Bowl: Featuring the Eagles' injury prone running back Brian Westbrook and the Chargers' injury prone running back Ladanian Tomlinson.

Cardinals vs. Titans

The Cardinals' 37 year old Kurt Warner and his aerial attack featuring Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston face off against the Titans 36 year old Kerry Collins ground attack featuring Lendale White and Chris Johnson in the Battle of the Old Guys.

Giants vs. Colts

Eli and Peyton. Now this is what sibling rivalry is about. Who will their parents root for in this brother vs. brother Super Bowl? Recently the big game has been dominated by the Mannnings. The Manning brother whose team wins gets double Christmas presents and the title of "Archie's favorite son."

Speaking of Archie Manning, his and Eli's alma mater No. 20 Ole Miss upset No. 8 Texas Tech 47-34. Did I not say that Ole Miss is a lot better of a team than their record shows in my last article (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/95451-how-to-fix-college-footballs-postseason-my-playoff-proposal)?

How about my other controversial playoff pick? Rutgers University the team that started 1-5 and turned their season around to finish 7-5 and ended it 63-14 blowout over Louisville. They won their third straight bowl game and beat N.C State 29-23, another second-half-of-the-season-turnaround team that won its last four games straight.

We can see now that Ole Miss and Rutgers are for real. Too bad there's no playoff.

Now that we've gotten into College Football, how about those Utah Utes? Do they know how to seize an opportunity. Taking advantage of Alabama's suspension of All American LT Andre Smith, they sacked Senior quarterback John Parker Wilson eight times. They also were able to hold star running back Glen Coffee to only 36 yards.

Then there's the USC Trojans who also won convincingly against a one loss team. Their victim was Penn State.

The Nittany Lions and Joe Paterno didn't play like they were supposed to and it showed on the scoreboard and in Paterno's box, where Joe Pa sat with the famous Paterno scowl when USC scored it's first touchdown. His face stayed in that scowl throughout the entire 38-17 blowout and probably won't go away until the Nits' win their first game next year. Don't be suprised if it gets stuck and never changes again.

These two teams proved that they deserved to be in the BCS title game and this year more than ever is proof that a playoff needs to replace the BCS Bowls. How can someone not say that a 13-0 team that won its conference and beat a No. 4 ranked 12-1 team shouldn't be deserving of a national championship?

Going back to the NFL for a moment, Bill Parcells apparently can opt out of his contract this year if he wants to. I'm thinking that he should go to the Lions and turn them into next year's NFC North champions.

It is January of 2010. The new Detroit Lions (Miami Dolphins) are led by quarterback Rex Grossman (Chad Pennington), who was discarded by the Bears in place of an older and better quarterback Kurt Warner (Brett Favre) who retired at the end of the previous season and then came out of retirement.

Rex Grossman is named Comeback Player of the Year. The Lions will then proceed to lose in the first round of the playoffs to the New Orleans Saints (The Ravens).

Remember this name that I am about to tell you. Kenny Britt. He is (was) a wide receiver for Rutgers University. He is a Junior and announced that he will go to the NFL draft this year. In only three seasons he broke almost every receiving record at Rutgers and had 1342 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season.

Britt is 6-5, has power, and has NFL speed. He'll probably get drafted by the Dolphins or the Titans. He's a Terrell Owens/Plaxico Burress type. You'll see his greatness soon enough.

Next Week's NFL picks: Eagles over the Giants, Panthers over the Cardinals, Ravens over the Titans, and Chargers over the Steelers but only if Ladanian Tomlinson is healthy.

Did anyone realize that Philadelphia could be this year's Titletown? Last year Boston was Titletown. The Celtics were NBA champs, the Patriots went 16-0 and then lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl, and the Red Sox won the World Series.

Well, this year the Philadelphia Phillies already won the World Series and the Eagles just beat the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Philadelphia even has the Philadelphia Soul, the Arena Football League Champs.

The 76ers were supposed to be a very good team this year that could even give the Celtics a run for their money. Now I guess that won't happen but hey, anything is possible.

So that was an idea of what was going on in my brain this week in sports. Look for my articles every week from now on (except for next week because I have high school midterms). Thanks for reading!

How To Fix College Football's Postseason: My Playoff Proposal

Josh Rosenberg — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:28:47 -0500

Dear NCAA football committee and to whomever else it may concern,

In light of recent events in the college football (meaning the last three year's of unfortunate events for way to many teams) many people have criticized the legitimacy of the Bowl Championship Series' ability to accurately decide and crown a national champion.

It has been very controversial over the last few years and a large amount of people have debated about it time after time again.

In the present times, we see teams like Texas, Southern California, Penn State, Texas Tech, and Alabama all kept out of the BCS national title game in favor of Oklahoma and Florida, although they all finished with the same record and some even in a three-way tie for their conference.

Teams like Boise State and Texas Tech were not even allowed to be in a BCS bowl game, while the other top 10 teams at least got BCS bowls. Boise State even went undefeated! (Due to corruption in Boise's case, and due to illogical and contradictory rules in Tech's case.)

What gives undefeated Utah the right to take it away from them?

Last year, we faced the same problem when 11-2 LSU made it to the title game over 11-2 Virginia Tech, 11-1 Kansas, 10-2 West Virginia, 11-2 Oklahoma, 11-2 Missouri, 10-2 USC, and 10-2 Georgia.

Missouri was this year's Texas Tech and they got left our of a BCS Bowl game! (Undeserving 12-0 Hawaii got a BCS berth over them and proceeded to get demolished by Georgia, 40-11.)

And let's not forget about when 12-0 Auburn got snubbed from the title game by Oklahoma and USC in 2004. They were all undefeated and Auburn had one more win than USC.

Despite all I've said already, I am not writing this letter to criticize the BCS (no matter how illogical its methods are), insult it (no matter how contradictory its rules are), nor am I here to spew facts about its history to prove a point. (Well, actually I pretty much just did, but that was only the introduction.)

However, like in all other sports, the national champion should be decided on the field.

Not by computers.

That said, I would like to introduce to you my college football playoff proposal.

The way college football postseason should be

I believe that this playoff system (devised by me) will effectively determine the real national champion of every college football season.

Rule 1: There will be a 14-team playoff, with the top two seeds receiving a first round bye.

Rule 2: The seeding is partially based on how teams finish in the top 25. If a team that wins their conference is ranked behind a team that didn't win their conference, they receive a seed higher than that team only if the conference winning team has a better record. Ex: Big East champion Cincinnati will be ranked over Ohio State in seeding.

Rule 3: To ensure that "traditions are kept alive" the first six games will represent the six major non-BCS bowl games. These are the Gator Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Sun Bowl, Capital One Bowl, and the Outback Bowl. The second round will represent the four BCS bowls. These are the Sugar, Fiesta, Orange, and Rose Bowls.

To keep the Rose Bowl committee from whining, one of the matchups will be a Big Ten-Pac 10 game, which will be the Rose Bowl assuming the both higher seeds win

Rule 4: A BCS conference team with at least 10 wins automatically gets into the playoff tournament.

Rule 5: A non-BCS conference team gets into the playoffs only if they go undefeated. Sorry Ball State and Texas Christian, you should've at least won your conferences.

So far the eligible teams are...The top 10. Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Alabama, USC, Penn State, Utah, Texas Tech, Ohio State, and Boise State.

Rule 6: The winner of every BCS conference gets an automatic bid. This means Virginia Tech and Cincinnati join the party.

We now have 12 teams.

Rule 7: Now here comes the controversial one. Any team with a five-game winning streak or more gets in the playoffs. Since the goal of the playoff is to determine the best team in college football, it should not only be determined by the team's record alone.

Teams should be judged based on how they are currently playing, not how they played in the beginning of the season. My final two spots go to Ole Miss and Rutgers.

Before you start ripping this letter up, let me explain myself.

Rutgers started this season 1-5. They ended up turning the season around and winning six games straight and finishing tied for second in the Big East. They closed off the regular season with a 63-14 rout of Louisville where they scored 49 points in the first half alone.

In this spectacular run, they beat No. 14 Pittsburgh 54-34, Syracuse 35-14, and South Florida 49-17. They also only lost to Cincinnati the Big East champions by three points. And that was before they turned around their season.

Ole Miss finished 8-4 and finished the season winning five games straight. They also are the only team that beat Florida this season. FLORIDA you say? Yes, Florida. The team who is now playing Oklahoma in the (fake) national championship game. Enough said.

I wouldn't even be surprised if one of these two teams wins their first round matchup.

Now that we have the rules and the teams, here are the seeds and matchups.

First round

1. Oklahoma and Florida. Bye

2. Texas vs. Ole Miss (Cotton) and USC vs. Rutgers (Sun)

3. Alabama vs. Ohio State (Capitol One) and Penn State vs. Virginia Tech (Gator)

4. Utah vs. Cincinnati (Outback) and Texas Tech vs. Boise St. (Holiday)

5. Boise St. vs. Texas Tech and Cincinnati vs. Utah

6. Ohio State vs. Alabama and Virginia Tech vs. Penn St.

7. Ole Miss vs. Texas and Rutgers vs. USC

Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, OSU, Utah, and Cincinnati are on one side of the tournament and are joined by Florida. The other teams are joined by Oklahoma second round.

Second round: BCS Bowls

1. Florida plays 4./5. Oklahoma plays 4./5.

Both 2./7. play 3./6.

Third Round: Final Four

1./4./5. plays 2./3./6./7.

BCS national title game

The two teams who win all these games will play each other in Miami and us college football fans will all be content because we know that the team that won this game was the team that really deserved to be the national champions.

As for all the teams that were left out of the playoffs, it doesn't sound like a bad idea to keep the rest of the bowl games.

Yes, some of the other teams will feel cheated because they didn't make the playoffs, but those teams will not have a significant argument like they do in the current postseason system. They will just be mad because they didn't satisfy the qualifications to get into the playoffs in the first place.

It would be great if you would please consider my playoff proposal and replacing the BCS with it.

Thank you for your time and I wish all your teams luck in the rest of the season (those that made bowls) and in the great seasons to come.

Sincerely,

Joshua Rosenberg

Boise State-Ohio State: The Trial for the Final BCS Bid

Josh Rosenberg — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:28:46 -0500

Opening Statements

Due to Oregon State's loss to Oregon, USC was able to win the Pac-10. This gave them an automatic Rose Bowl berth and opened up a spot for another team, more deserving team than Oregon State, to earn a BCS bid.

The two possible and leading candidates for this are 12-0 Boise State, and 10-2 Ohio State.

Yes, for the first time in college football history, two non-BCS conference teams might play in BCS bowls. Right now, Boise State is ranked ahead of Ohio State. But, with the computers in play, you never know what will happen.

Ohio State makes its case

Your honor, the BCS computers, and people of the jury (BCS committee), I believe that my clients, the Ohio State Buckeyes are worthy of the final BCS bid. Yes, this past season, the Buckeyes didn't go undefeated. However, they play in the Big Ten, which is a much tougher conference.

If you look at my client's two losses, they are to No. 5 USC and to No. 7 Penn State. Do you think Boise State would have gone undefeated if they played against these teams?

Boise State played one ranked team this year. When you look at who Ohio State beat this season, they had wins over three top 25 teams. In their wins over those teams, they outscored them 110-34.

They also played their final nine games without starting quarterback Todd Boeckman, starting true freshman Terrele Pryor in place of him. Three games were played without starting running back, and Heisman candidate, Chris Wells; also, he was rarely ever completely healthy.

Despite these roadblocks, Ohio State continued to win.

Finally, I think it's only fair that I cite the one BCS rules for determining the bowls. And I quote "No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year."

Your honor and people of the jury, this rule is proof that Boise State is not eligible to receive the final BCS bid because No. 6 Utah is ranked higher and will receive one. This leaves Ohio State as the only team fit to receive the final BCS bid.

Boise State makes its case

With all due respect to my opponent, my clients, the Boise State Broncos, undoubtedly deserve the final BCS bid. They have just gone undefeated in the regular season for the second time in three years.

Most of you probably remember when my clients went undefeated, made the Fiesta Bowl, and defeated the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners in the 2006-2007 season. I believe that this football team also has enough skill to win a BCS bowl.

This year's Broncos also went undefeated and beat then number nineteen Oregon, the team that put 65 points against Oregon State (who beat USC). The 2006 team didn't have a top 25 win. Also, they have outscored their opponents 473 to 147 this season. They have averaged 39.4 points per game while giving up 12.25 points a game.

My opponents, the Ohio State Buckeyes, have two losses. Boise State went UNDEFEATED. As my opponent has done, I will cite from the BCS selection rules.

"The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls."

This proves that, according to the BCS rankings, No. 9 Boise State should make a BCS bowl game over Ohio State. This also means that No. 11 Texas Christian and number No. 13 Ball State should be getting BCS berths because they are ranked above No. 14 Cincinnati, the Big East champion, and the eventual winner of the ACC.

Also, in response to my opponent's argument, the rules go on to say the following.

"(Note: a second team may be eligible for at-large eligibility as noted below.) If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be considered for at-large selection if it meets the criteria."

Boise State has met all the criteria and is even ranked ahead of Ohio State.

Your honor and the people of the jury, for these reasons, Boise State should be given a BCS bid, not Ohio State.

The Verdict

Judge speaking: Thank you both for your statements. As we know, the BCS selection is Sunday night at 8:00 EST. Be sure to watch it to find out the final verdict of the case for the final BCS bid. As for now, all I can say is good luck to both teams. You will definitely need it.

Which Big East Teams Can Still Win the Conference?

Josh Rosenberg — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:55:15 -0500

It's the end of Week Twelve, and the Big East Football conference still has no clear winner. This is exactly how it should be, however, and that is what makes this conference so exciting. In fact, the Big East title could and will most likely come down to the final week.

Here are the current rankings.

	BIG EAST	Pct	Overall	Pct
Cincinnati	4-1	.800	8-2	.800
Pittsburgh	3-1	.750	7-2	.778
West Virginia	3-1	.750	6-3	.667
Rutgers	4-2	.667	5-5	.500
Connecticut	3-2	.600	7-3	.700
USF	1-4	.200	6-4	.600
Louisville	1-4	.200	5-5	.500
Syracuse	1-5	.167	2-8	.200

As you can see, Cincinnati is in the lead, but Pitt and West Virginia also only have one loss. Pitt lost to Rutgers 54-34 and Rutgers is right behind them with two losses, those being close ones to Cincinnati and West Virginia. UConn is 3-2 and just beat Syracuse 39-14. The rest of the teams have been eliminated from Big East title contention.

To win the Big East

Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats have already beaten West Virginia and must win the rest of their games to win the Big East title. Their remaining Big East games are against fellow one-loss Pitt at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati and against 1-5 Syracuse. If they win these games, they win the Big East and will go to a BCS Bowl game as the 10-2 Big East representative.

Pittsburgh Panthers

The Panthers also will win the Big East if they win out. The difference is that Pitt faces a lot harder schedule. Next week they must go on the road and play Cincinnati, and then they play at home against West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. After that is their final game at UConn.

All three of those teams have winning records in Big East and non-Big East play. And don't forget, this team beat West Virginia.

West Virginia Mountaineers

For Pat White, Noel Devine, and the rest of West Virginia to win the Big East, it will take a little bit of luck, not just a running of the table.

First they square off against a down in the dumps Louisville, who is playing a lot better than their three straight losses indicate. Two of their last three losses were by a touchdown and another by eight points. These Cardinals are itching to snap their losing streak and not to extend it to four games, like Rutgers did against USF last week.

WV then goes to Pitt in the Backyard Brawl. They are seeking revenge for last year's 13-9 loss that knocked them out of the national title game.

Their final game is at home against South Florida. Many people thought that whoever won this game would win the Big East title, but boy, were they wrong. (The Bulls are 6-4 and 1-4 in the Big East.) To win the Big East, the Mountaineers must win out and Cincinnati must lose at least one game.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Yes, Rutgers is 5-5 right now. However, they are also 4-2 in the Big East. During this recent period of four straight wins, Rutgers has hung 54 points on Pitt, at Pitt, and flat-out embarrassed South Florida 49-16 at South Florida. Their remaining Big East game is against Louisville at home.

To win the Big East, they must first win that game. Then they'll need A LOT of good luck. Cincinnati has to lose to Pitt and Syracuse, and any combination of Louisville, Pitt, and USF has to beat West Virginia. The Panthers must lose to either UConn or West Virginia. IF Pitt loses to WV, then Louisville and USF have to beat West Virginia. The likelihood of this happening: not likely.

UConn Huskies

Coach Randy Edsall's 7-3 Huskies still have to play at South Florida. Then they go back home to play Pitt. If they want to win the Big East, UConn must beat both teams, and all the dominoes have to fall in their favor.

Cincinnati has to lose to Pitt and Syracuse, and any combination of Louisville, Pitt, and USF has to beat West Virginia. The Panthers must also lose to West Virginia. To finish it off, Rutgers would have to lose to Louisville. UConn fans, just be glad starting quarterback Tyler Lorenzen is back.

Ohio State-Penn State: Who Wins and What This Game Means for Both Teams

Josh Rosenberg — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:14:12 -0400

Two Big Ten schools, two huge stadiums, two great defenses, and two upstart, dual-threat quarterbacks with no starting experience before this season. Now what happens when two Big Ten powerhouses—one being 7-0, and one being 6-1—are pitted against each other?

The result is tomorrow night's Ohio State-Penn State matchup at 8:00 PM EST. The game is going to be a battle of two BCS worthy teams duking it out punch by punch.

Part One: What a Win Would Mean for Each Team

The winner of this game will most likely determine the winner of the Big Ten. Not only could it decide the fate of the conference, this game may also have BCS title game implications.

Think about it. Both teams have already gotten over the hump of Wisconsin and have fairly easy schedules remaining. If Penn State wins, they will still be undefeated and probably get the top spot in the BCS rankings.

Their remaining games are against Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan State. Michigan State should be a tough game, while they should breeze through the other two. If they emerge undefeated, they would no doubt be in the BCS title game. If they lose to MSU, Iowa, or Indiana they still have the tie breaker over OSU and will still win the Big Ten.

If Ohio State wins, both teams will have one loss. Ohio State's remaining games are Northwestern, Illinois, and Michigan. I never thought I would say this, but Northwestern is probably the Buckeye's hardest of these three games. Illinois was overrated and Michigan should have never hired Rich Rodriguez (other wise known to West Virginia and Michigan fans alike as "Fraudriguez").

Since they already got past the Michigan State hump, (which was barely a hump as they demolished the Spartans 45-7) if OSU can win out, they will win the Big Ten. And, if college football's season is anything like last year's in terms of upsets, a one-loss Ohio State will be vaulted into the National Title game for a third straight year. You know what they say...third time's the charm.

Part Two: Who Will Win

Ohio State and Penn State have different paths to how they got to their respective records today. Ohio State had great wins against Youngstown State and Michigan State, beating them by a combined score of 88-7. However, they struggled in many games. They also lost to USC 35-3 in a lopsided blowout game.

Aug. 30—W vs. Youngstown St, 43-0

Sept. 6—W vs. Ohio U, 26-14

Sept. 13—L at U-S-C, 3-35

Sept. 20—W vs. Troy, 28-10

Sept. 27—W vs. Minnesota, 34-21

Oct. 4—W at Wisconsin, 20-17

Oct. 11—W vs. Purdue, 16-3

Oct. 18—W at Michigan State, 45-7

Oct. 25—vs. Penn State, 8:00 PM

Penn State has no losses and has outscored their opponents constantly, with every game being a blowout so far. They also beat Oregon State who so far is the only team to beat USC, the team that beat OSU 35-3.

Aug. 30—W vs. Coastal Carolina, 66-10

Sept. 6—W vs. Oregon State, 45-14

Sept. 13—W at Syracuse, 55-13

Sept. 20—W vs. Temple, 45-3

Sept. 27—W vs. Illinois, 38-24

Oct. 4—W at Purdue, 20-6

Oct. 11—W at Wisconsin, 48-7

Oct. 18—W vs. Michigan, 46-17

While both are very impressive, Penn State has the edge.

They both have great defenses and upstart, dual-threat quarterbacks. The question will be if these two running backs can pass effectively and often. Although fifth year Senior Darryl Clark has more playing experience than Terrelle Pryor, neither had started until this season. Pryor has the advantage in arm strength and speed while Clark has the advantage in decision making, accuracy, and experience.

The difference maker in this game will be none other than the player in the picture of this article. Yes, Chris "Beanie" Wells. Penn State's Evan Royster doesn't match up to Beanie and neither will Penn State's defense.

Ohio State's team of linebackers, led by James Laurinaitis, has been able to stop a dual-threat quarterback before, and it should be no huge problem. The 'Nits on the other hand have to deal with Terrelle Pryor and a healthy Beanie Wells.

Josh's Prediction

Ohio State 27, Penn State 24

Don't Be Surprised If LSU Makes The BCS Title Game Again

Josh Rosenberg — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:01:12 -0400

Don't be surprised college football fans, if the LSU Tigers pull an Ohio State and win the SEC and go back into the National Title Game. Like I compared West Virginia to Louisville of 2007, and South Florida to Rutgers of 2007, you will now see how I came to my decision of the likelihood of LSU in the title game.

LSU is fresh off an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game. Ohio State was pre-2007 also.

This preseason many have LSU ranked in the top 15. Ohio State was also ranked in the top 15 preseason 2007, only to make the jump up the polls all year, and eventually to get the number one spot.

LSU also loses their starting quarterback, Matt Flynn, who was a fifth round draft pick, and doesn't return a quarterback that is older than a sophomore, none of which have starting experience. Ohio State lost Troy Smith to the NFL after 2006, and he was also a fifth round pick in the 2007 draft. Sophomore Todd Boeckman took over for Ohio State with no starting experience and Ohio State went to the BCS title game again.

LSU lost top wide receiver Early Doucet. After the 2006 season Ohio State lost top wide receiver Tedd Ginn Jr.

LSU returns all their running backs just like Ohio State did in 2007. LSU returns four of their five starting offensive linemen. Ohio State returned four of five offensive linemen in 2007.

LSU also returns their entire starting defensive line except sack monster All American Glenn Dorsey, but Ricky Jean-Francois (who was the MVP of last year's title game) is still back, and should become the new Glenn Dorsey. LSU also only returns one linebacker which Ohio State did in pre-2007 with James Laurinitis returning. They ended up having the number one defense in the country.

They also both have had great recruiting classes in the past few years. So look out Auburn and Alabama, LSU looks to surprise everyone and take the jump back to the top of the SEC for the second year in a row.

BCS Conference Predictions

Josh Rosenberg — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:59:53 -0400

Big East

1. Rutgers 2. Pitt 3. Cincinatti 4. Uconn 5. USF 6. West Virginia 7. Louisville 8. Syracuse

Sec East:

1. Georgia 2. Florida 3. Tennesee 4. South Carolina 5. Kentucky 6. Vanderbilt

Sec West:

1. LSU 2. Alabama 3. Auburn 4. Ole Miss 5. Arkansas 6. Mississippi State

ACC Coastal

1. Virgina Tech 2. UNC 3. Virginia 4. Georgia Tech 5. Miami 6. Duke

ACC Atlantic

1. Wake Forest 2. Clemson 3. BC 4. Maryland 5. Florida State 6.NC State

Big 10

1. Ohio State 2. Penn State 3. Wisconsin 4. Michigan State 5. Purdue 6. Illinois 7. Michigan 8. Iowa 9. Indiana 10. Northwestern 11. Minnesota

Pac 10

1. USC 2. Oregon 3. Arizona State 4. UCLA 5. Oregon State 6. Arizona 7. Cal 8. Washington 9. Washington State 10. Stanford

Big 12 North

1. Kansas 2. Missouri 3. Colarado 4. Nebraska 5. Iowa State 6. Kansas State

Big 12 South

1. OKlahoma 2. Texas 3. Texas Tech 4. OSU 5. Texas A&M 6. Baylor

Sleeper Teams: UNC, Illinois, Michigan State, Colarado, Cal, South Carolina, and Oklahoma State

And now this year's BCS title game is between the Kansas Jayhawks and the LSU Tigers!

Why South Florida Won't Be Better Than West Virginia This Year

Josh Rosenberg — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:00:27 -0400

It's mid-August, and most 2008 college football preseason rankings are out. In the Big East, almost every single one has West Virginia winning the Big East and South Florida coming in a close second. Why is this?

Their defenses are decent again, so let's go through some reasons while comparing the two teams' offenses.

Receivers

West Virginia might have lost Darius Reynaud, but they return Dorrell Jalloh, their No. 2 target, and big 6'8" Wes Lyons. Sure, Jalloh only had 272 yards, but he also didn't have that many receptions due to Pat White's tendency to run instead of pass.

Bill Stewart's plan for White is to get him to pass more, and Jalloh and Lyons should have no trouble replacing Reynaud's stats.

South Florida, on the other hand has Jessie Hester Jr. and Carlton Mitchell, who each had four touchdowns last year, but both are inconsistent and are constantly beat out by defensive backs.

Quarterbacks

Although they are both great dual-threat quarterbacks, Pat White clearly has the edge, as he has more experience and is faster than Matt Grothe. White is improving his passing every year while still having more rushing yards per season than Grothe.

Also, White has better decision making than Grothe, which is shown by their number of interceptions last season—White had only four interceptions to Grothe's 14.

Running Game

Or in South Florida's case, the lack of it. West Virginia had Steve Slaton, a huge touchdown threat to compliment Pat White. Teams were focused on not just stopping White but also stopping Slaton, and they risked getting burned. When you focus on just the quarterback, a good running back will run all over you.

Although Slaton is gone, sophomore running back Noel Devine showed he could fill in for Slaton perfectly with 13 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-28 rout of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

When you put some of your focus on stopping the running back, the quarterback will find a way to score, and it will be very easy for him to do so.

In South Florida's situation, they are basically a one-man offense. Grothe throws the ball, and Grothe runs the ball. Although he is a threat at both, it is easy to just focus on him because South Florida running back Mike Ford isn't that big of a threat.

Although Ford was only a freshman last year, he did have 12 touchdowns on 138 carries. He looks like he will improve, but it is never good when a team's quarterback has more rushing yards the previous season than a RETURNING STARTER at running back.

Teams still shouldn't expect much from Ford, and Grothe will still be one of the only playmakers in the backfield. Their offense won't take off unless there is someone else to run the ball and take the pressure off Grothe to lead all of the offense in the USF backfield.

Unless the running game takes off and Grothe can make better decisions, the South Florida offense will not compare to West Virginia's. Defense can't do everything. Sorry, USF—maybe you can win the Big East next year.