Ness Notes (Heisman Update / College Hoops Begin)
As I've been saying for weeks now, this year's Heisman winner will be won by one of two QBs, Ohio State's Troy Smith or Notre Dame's Brady Quinn. Quinn has the much better numbers lately but it shouldn't go unnoticed that the Irish haven't exactly faced "Murderers Row." Since Notre Dame was beaten badly by Michigan back on September 16 (47-21), Quinn has rebounded (he threw three INTs vs the Wolverines and lost a fumble that was returned for a TD) by leading Notre Dame to six straight wins, as the Irish have averaged 34.8 PPG. The Irish are now 8-1 and ranked No. 9 in the latest BCS standings. During that stretch, Quinn has completed 66.7 percent of his throws while averaging 302 YPG through the air. He's thrown 19 TDPs and been intercepted just once (216 attempts). The catch is, Notre Dame's six wins have come over teams with a combined winning percentage of just .375 (21-35)! Notre Dame plays at Air Force this week and then home to Army on the 18th (not much competition in either of those games, either), before finishing with USC on November 25. Ohio State's Troy Smith has been the "leader in the clubhouse" since the season's first weekend but he sure has "left the door open" for Quinn recently. Ohio State looked like it was ready to cruise to another easy win last Saturday, as the Buckeyes opened their game with Illinois by driving 80 yards on 14 plays for a 7-0 lead on their first possession. However, a 17-0 halftime lead never grew and Illinois scored its only TD of the game with 1:40 remaining (to close to 17-10) and the Buckeyes were forced to hang on for dear life from there. Smith had his least-productive game of the season, completing just 13-of-23 passes for 108 yards with no TDPs and one INT. He ran 11 times for 37 yards (would have been more if not for three sacks) and has shown more running ability the last seven games, averaging 31.4 YPG rushing and 5.4 YPC. Smith's thrown for 22 TDPs this year with just three INTs and is completing 66.7 percent, while Quinn's numbers are 25 TDPs (four INTs) and a completion percentage of 63.9. Quinn however, has thrown for 2,579 yards (286.6 YPG) with Smith throwing for 2,006 yards (200.6 YPG). Smith has been brilliant in two career games against Michigan (I'll preview the Michigan/Ohio State game next week) and he can probably wrap up the Heisman with a great performance against the Wolverines. If he does not play well and especially if Ohio State loses, Quinn will have a chance to "state his case" when Notre Dame visits the Coliseum on November 25. More RBs have won the Heisman than any other position but no RB will win this year. Michigan's Mike Hart may get an invitation to New York, as he plays for the nation's 2nd-ranked team and he's been as consistent (although not spectacular) as any back in college football. He's topped 100 yards in eight of Michigan's 10 games this year and has 18 career 100-yard games, with Michigan going 17-1 in those 18 games. A 'monster' game by Hart against the Buckeyes would almost insure Hart a ticket to New York. A win would be nice as well. West Va's Steve Slaton saw his dark-horse Heisman chances end last Thursday night in Louisville, along with West Va's hopes of playing in the national title game. Slaton fumbled on consecutive touches in the third quarter against the Cardinals, with his second fumble getting returned for a TD. It was all downhill for the Mountaineers from there and with the loss, West Va fell from No. 3 in the BCS standings to No. 10. Other backs worthy of mention are Cal's Marshawn Lynch, Boise State's Ian Johnson, Rutgers' Ray Rice, Wisconsin's PJ Hill and Arkansas' Darren McFadden (in no particular order of preference). The two Colts While a QB will win this year's Heisman, he won't be named Colt. However, Texas QB Colt McCoy and Hawaii QB Colt Brennan, deserve mention. McCoy, a red-shirt freshman, threw for a career-best 346 yards in Texas' 36-10 win over Oklahoma State last Saturday. He threw three TDPs, giving him 27 for the season, which sets a new Texas single-season record (Vince Young had 26 TDPs last year). In leading Texas to eight straight wins since the team's 24-7 loss to Ohio State (9/9), McCoy has completed 71.3 percent of his passes while throwing 23 TDPs and just three INTs. Texas has averaged 41.1 PPG in the eight-game streak and over the last four games, McCoy has averaged 274.3 YPG passing. The freshman record for TDPs in a single season is held by Nevada's David Neill (he threw 29 in 1998) and McCoy is sure to break that mark easily! Colt Brennan threw six TDPs in Hawaii's 63-10 win over Utah State last Saturday, giving him 39 on the year (has just six INTs). That breaks the Hawaii single-season record of 38, set by Timmy Chang in 2004. Incredibly, Hawaii still has four regular season games remaining (all at home) and Saturday's win garnered them an invite to host this year's Hawaii Bowl, meaning Brennan will have five games left to go after the all-time single-season record for TD passes in a year. Houston's David Klingler threw 54 TDPs for the Cougars back in 1990 and Brennan's current pace of 39 through nine games (4.3 per game), has him "on pace" to toss 60 in what will be a 14-game season for the Rainbows! It should be pointed out that Hawaii is 19-8 SU and ATS its last 27 home games during November and December. So, with five more home games to go, Brennan should sure have a real shot at Klinger's record. College basketball is back, as a quick check of Tuesday's schedule shows two games being played in College Park, Maryland, as the Coaches vs Cancer Classic tips off the 2006-07 college basketball season. Florida, last year's national champs, will begin this season No.1 in both the AP and Coaches' preseason polls. Florida was unranked at the beginning of last season and finished the regular season as the AP's 11th-ranked team. However, the Gators won five of their six tournament games by 12 points or more (the exception was their 57-53 win over Georgetown), to become just the fourth team to capture the national championship, after beginning the season unranked. The three others to do so were, Texas Western in 1966 (now UTEP), Villanova in 1985 and Syracuse in 2003. As most know, the Gators return all five starters from last year's championship team, just the second title team to do that in at least 40 years! Arizona won the title in the 1996-97 season and returned all five starters in 1997-98, but lost to Utah that year in the Regional Finals. North Carolina is No. 2 in both polls and Kansas comes in No. 3 in both polls as well. As for last year's other three Final Four teams, UCLA (which lost to Florida in the championship game) is No. 6 in the AP and tied for fifth with Pitt in the Coaches' poll. LSU is No. 5 in the AP and No. 7 in the Coaches'. Last year's "Cinderella team," George Mason, got just one 25th-place vote in the AP poll and totaled just six points in the Coaches' poll, which places them 42nd. Pitt's No.4 ranking in the AP poll, matches the school's highest-ever preseason ranking with the 1987-88 team. Ohio State, which most believe has the nation's best incoming freshman class (although Greg Oden will not be available until January, due to an injury), is No. 7 in the AP. Texas A&M is ranked No. 13 in the AP, the school's first appearance in that poll since November 30, 1980. Duke opens the year at No. 12 in the AP poll, the school's 186th consecutive appearance in the poll. It's the longest active streak of any school and the second-longest streak of all-time. UCLA appeared in 221 straight AP polls from 1966 through 1980. U Conn (No. 18 in the AP's preseason poll), has the nation's second-longest active streak behind Duke, with 59 consecutive appearances. Kansas (No. 3) and Kentucky (No. 22), own the two longest active streaks of appearing in the AP's preseason poll, as both schools have appeared in every preseason poll since the 1991-92 season. Unlike college football, which features just 119 Division I-A schools, college basketball has 325 school playing at the Division I-A level. There will be 61 schools this year featuring a new head coach. It's the most new coaches in any year since 1998 and the third-biggest turnover since the NCAA began tracking coaching changes in 1950. The Big 12 alone has six new head coaches, a 50 percent turnover rate. Of note, Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson will be in Indiana this year, while former Cincinnati head coach, Bob Huggins, takes over at Kansas State. Tying in both Indiana and the Big 12, I'll note that Texas Tech's Bob Knight needs just 11 more wins to pass Dean Smith as college basketball's all-time winningest coach. And who says good things don't happen to good people?
Other Gambling Tips Articles
Top Poker Affiliate Profits With a poker affiliate program you can earn up to 25% affiliate commission and no fees or bonuses are deducted from your earnings, that is why the poker affiliate payouts are considered the most lucrative and the top poker affiliate profits available anywhere on the net.What does that mean? The top poker affiliate profits mean more money ...Hilton Consensus: Week 10 Las Vegas Hilton SuperContestants apparently are feeling a Rocky Mountain High in Week 10 of the 2005 football season, even though the Denver Broncos will be playing in a city by the bay.The record field of 505 players tabbed the Broncos minus a field goal over the Oakland Raiders as their best consensus bet by a 151-78 count. Top plays a ...Multi Table Poker Tournament Tips You want to enter a limit tournament so you have to have in mind the gap concept. This is the most obvious change you will have o consider when revising your strategy for a tournament like this. You will pay mare attentions to actually winning every pot you get into and the pot odds will be somewhat disregarded here. This doesn't mean you will d ...Affiliate Internet Marketing Tips Affiliate marketing has become more popular in recent years and affiliate internet marketing is among the most popular. If you are going to make money in affiliate internet marketing there are several affiliate internet marketing tips that you should keep in mind. Some affiliate marketing tips include learning to use affiliate marketing tools, a ...Win at Roulette! – How To Get The Best Odds The spinning wheel, the smell of money, and anticipation…nothing compares with roulette for sheer excitement.Do people win at roulette however? Some do, and we will show you their secrets below.The winners all have a strategy, and they stick to it, and win at roulette.To win, you need to play. To play, you need to bet. Here ...Online Gambling - A Booming Industry Gambling is no longer just about the bright lights and dizzying décor of conglomerate, Vegas-style hotel-casinos anymore. With the advent of the Internet, thousands of online casinos have cropped up offering a new gambling experience to casino goers around the world. No more searching for parking at a casino. No more vying for a spot at a table ...Spreizter all Business at Tourney Time Handicapping the NFL is a leisurely Sunday stroll through the zoo next to analyzing the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.That's more like a long weekend trip to an amusement park, with rollercoaster peaks and valleys, a fun house and lots of thrill rides.Granted, college basketball handicappers have ample time to study first ...Las Vegas Gambling Basics The gambling scene, not only of North America but also of the entire world has one illuminated name that cannot be left out. Las Vegas - the city of paradise for gamblers. The casino resorts and the luxurious hotels in the city have left behind all holiday destinations. The city is full of opportunities, opportunities to thrill your senses in ev ...Rick Tocchet And Janet Jones Sue NJ State Police With all that has been going on with the alleged gambling ring, that sees a former NHL great and the wife of the Great One Wayne Gretzky caught in the middle one would have to ask, just how long was it going to take for there to be a lawsuit? Well apparently that time has arrived, and this one is going to be a big one.Rick Tocchet just ha ...Double your Incom: Take a Chance with Internet Affiliate Programs If you want to produce a profitable web site, then affiliate programs are the most ideal approach.Certain affiliates of companies or corporations out there are looking for help regarding their marketing. The affiliates’ money is weighed greatly on the commissions taken from the players registrations, and most often these affiliates do not ...Earning a Living from Online Casinos There are many ways of earning money. Most people go to work doing a nine to five job and getting paid for it. The coming of the computer age has allowed some people to work from the homes which have also been productive. If work can be done at home, can the same thing happen for someone who wants to do it from joining online casinos?Gamb ...No Limit Texas Hold em Poker: Strategy and Tips for Winning Hands One of the most popular forms of the game of poker is no limit hold em poker. It has gained immense popularity in the recent times because of all the T.V. coverage as well as from other forms of media publicity. To be successful at playing no limit hold em poker you have to follow a certain strategy. There is a large selection of books available ...Online Sportsbook Smarts Far too many people are extremely casual when it comes to betting online. Do you gamble online? There’s a common and false thinking pattern that’s emerged. Many people believe that if a website looks respectable then it must be ok. This is a recipe for disaster. Many crooks abound on the Internet and online gambling is the playground of choice f ...More Places to Play Poker Games There are many people across the world that want to be able to play poker games. However, there are relatively few people that live within a easily commutable distance from these casinos. With the advancement of technology a lot of things were able to evolve, and the casino industry was one of these things. Now, thanks to the power of the intern ...Hot Tips for Online Casino Gambling Gambling at a casino is fun, but gambling online is even better. There's nothing like being able to win lots of money without leaving your most comfortable chair. Today I want to share some hot online gambling tips for you. These tips will help you stay out of trouble. They really should become ingrained into your mind. Without further ado, here ...Secrets of Extracting More Cash From Online Poker Most poker players are obsessed with improving their play, as well they should. Studying, practicing, keeping logs of hands played are all tools to improve play and profit. There are, however, other subtle ways to improve the bottom line.Bonus accounts- Well known in the industry and I'm sure your aware of them. Some are better than other ...High Quality Poker Lessons Have you ever dreamed of playing poker with the professionals you see on TV? Maybe your wish is to learn absolutely everything about poker but you simply don't know where to get instructions from. It's best if you consider taking some poker lessons. Not only would it be a fun experience, but it will also provide you with all the information you ...Money Management And Gambling In this article we're going to cover the art of money management as it applies to gambling.Money management is important in all walks of life, where any type of investing or spending is involved. Because of the risks involved in gambling, especially in casino gambling, money management is more important than even knowledge of the game it ...The History Of Blackjack The origin of Blackjack is somewhat unclear. Some people believe that Blackjack originated in French casinos in the early 1700s where it was known as "vingt-et-un" ("20 and 1").The game became known as Blackjack because if a player held a Jack of Spades and an Ace of Spades as the 1st two cards, the player was paid out extra. So with a Ja ...Win Roulette – Avoid These 3 Simple Mistakes and Win Big Roulette is a simple, fun game but to win at roulette you need to avoid some common errors that both novice and experienced players make.Avoiding the mistakes below is easy and if you do you will win at roulette and maybe win big some big payouts.1. Go To EuropeIf you want to win at roulette never play the American wheel. ...Texas Holdem Strategies Almost every Holdem poker game can have a strategy. One must work out a strategy that will help you win the game. Unfortunately, not all strategies work.When planning a strategy there are many factors that need to be considered. One factor is the number of players, and how mild or aggressive the players at the table are. You'll need to b ...
|
