Dave's Thoughts and Rants : CBSSports.com Blogs

Saturday Thoughts, 12/4

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 17:38:24 EST

Due to the minimal number of meaningful games this weekend, I chose to take the two major off-field stories and include them in this week’s Saturday Thoughts.

1. Oregon Wins Civil War, Headed to Glendale

The Oregon Ducks secured their place in the BCS Championship game with a 37-20 victory over rival Oregon State in Corvallis. Over the second half of its Pac-10 schedule, the Ducks defense has really stepped up.

Oregon held Washington and Cal to 16 and 13 points, respectively. Though the defense had trouble in the first half last week, it stepped up in the second half and held Arizona to 10 points after intermission. The Ducks had another solid showing this week, holding Oregon State to 13 late into the fourth quarter before allowing a late Beavers TD.

TCU to Big East, What's Next for MWC?

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:11:51 EST

It has been an up and down summer and fall for Craig Thompson and the Mountain West Conference.

The summer began with rumors of Boise State joining the MWC, bringing the conference to 10 members (including Utah, BYU, TCU and Boise) and a near guarantee of BCS-AQ status.

Almost immediately, things began to fall apart. First, Utah announced its move to the Pac-10 along with Colorado.

As the 2010 academic season neared, rumors began to surface that the WAC was attempting to get BYU and several other MWC schools to "return home" and leave the Mountain West.

Valpo Finishes 5th in Las Vegas Invitational

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:24:33 EST

After losing their first two games of the Las Vegas Invitational, Homer Drew's Valparaiso Crusaders salvaged a fifth place finish (out of eight) with wins over Northern Colorado and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. For those of you entered in a Las Vegas Invitational pool, No. 6 Kansas won the tournament championship with an 87-79 victory over Kansas.

Senior swingman Howard Little was named the Valpo representative on the all-tournament team, averaging 9.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over four games. Little's best games came over the weekend, an 18, 2, and 2 performance Friday followed by 13, 8, and 1 on Saturday.The first two rounds of the tournament were played at campus sites over the past two weeks.

Round 1: Lawrence, KS—Kansas 79-Valpo 44

Saturday Thoughts, 11/27

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 0:47:40 EST

1. Boise State’s National Title Hopes end in Reno

As is usual, Boise State jumped out to a large first half lead (24-0) and it appeared that Chris Ault’s Nevada Wolf Pack were nothing more than the Broncos’ next victim. However, Colin Kaepernick and the Nevada offense had other plans. They finally broke through and got a TD as the game neared halftime. The offensive improvement fired up the Wolf Pack defense and it shut down the high-powered Boise offense for the first 25 minutes of the 2nd half.

The Nevada rushing game really got going after the half. Kaepernick and RB Vai Taua passed SMU’s Pony Express (Eric Dickerson and Craig James) for most career rushing yards by teammates as they led Nevada’s comeback. With the game tied at 24, Kellen Moore and the Boise offense were finally able to get a TD, only to have it immediately answered by Nevada.

Saturday Thougths, 11/20: Top 3 Take the Week Off

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:02:26 EST

With the top three teams all off this weekend, I was afraid that I would be hard pressed to come up with ten interesting topics. Instead, I was treated to what was (in my opinion) the most enjoyable Saturday of college football so far this season. During every time slot there were multiple nail biters. I had the pleasure of being on the edge of my seat for the majority of the afternoon. Without any further ado, here are my ten thoughts on this weekend's action.

1. Texas A&M is Back, and that's Good for College Football

Very rarely do you get to use the words “defensive battle” and “Big 12” in the same sentence. That was exactly what we saw Saturday night in College Station. Nebraska made its final regular season trip to Texas, losing 9-6 to Texas A&M. Taylor Martinez left the field early in the game with an ankle injury and missed the remainder of the first half. Tied at three after halftime, Martinez returned to try and lead his team to victory on one leg. Unfortunately for Nebraska fans, he was only able to gain 124 yards (107 passing and 17 rushing) for the game.

Hawaii to join Mountain West, What Move is Next?

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 17:55:43 EST

Overnight, news began to break that the University of Hawaii will be moving from the WAC to the Mountain West for football and the Big West for basketball and non-revenue sports. The addition of Hawaii pushes the Mountain West to a total of 11 teams. To my sensibilities, this indicates that at least one more move will occur between now and the start of the 2012-13 academic year. Either TCU will leave for the Big East (or Big XII) and the MWC will stand pat with 10 teams, the Mountain West will add one school to bring the league to an even 12 and add a conference championship game, or TCU will leave and the MWC will replace the Frogs with two teams. Here are some of the possible moves, and my take on how likely they are.

TCU Joins the Big East

Saturday Thoughts, 11/13: Survival Saturday

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:04:53 EST

Many of the top teams struggled this weekend, but all survived (for the first time this year my top-ten remained unchanged).

1. Oregon Passes Biggest Test of the Season

My biggest question/concern regarding Oregon this season has been how the team would react when they faced a defense that kept them in check. In short, the Ducks responded well. Though the offense was unable to accomplish much, the Oregon defense stepped up and kept the Cal offense in check. The Oregon team kept its composure even though things didn’t go as well as it was used to.

This weekend’s close win taught me more about Oregon than any of their previous blowout wins. I’m really starting to like this team. Granted, had California converted a short field goal early in the fourth quarter, I would probably be singing a somewhat different tune. However, if a team is to win a national championship (an undefeated championship none-the-less), it will need to win a game or two that it shouldn’t. I get the feeling that yesterday was that game for the Ducks.

Saturday Thoughts, 11/6: Blowout Saturday

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:57:56 EST

1. TCU Thumps Utah, Best Win by a Non-AQ to Date

I honestly thought that Utah would come out and give TCU a game Saturday afternoon. It had been over two years since a team came to Salt Lake City and walked away with a win. The Utes were a top five team that seemed to have proven themselves while climbing the rankings all year. TCU proved that it is on a completely different level than Utah (and even Boise) by rolling Utah 47-7.

Remember that it was a blowout win, on the road, against a top five team. There are no wins on Boise State’s schedule that can even come close to this. TCU already had a lead in the computers; this win will only increase their lead over the Broncos. Now that Alabama has lost a second game, I will be interested in seeing if a one-loss Big XII, Big Ten, Pac-10, or SEC team will jump ahead of an undefeated TCU should Auburn or Oregon fall.

Saturday Thoughts, 10/30: 2 Less Undefeated Teams

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 21:46:21 EDT

I think it's safe to say that I have some crow to eat after this weekend's games. Here are my ten thoughts from this weekend.

1. Oregon Rolls, Makes a Believer Out of Me

For the last several weeks, I (along with many others) have been pointing to last night's showdown with USC in the Coliseum was going to be the first big test of the season. Logic would suggest that a Defensive Coordinator with nearly 40 years of experience would be able to develop a scheme to at least slow down the Duck's attack. Add in the fact that he had two weeks to prepare and one of the most talent rich rosters in the country and you have a situation that should prove to be quite the test for Chip Kelly's offense. Not so much...the Ducks went through the Trojan defense like a knife through warm butter on their way to rolling up 52. In the interest of full disclosure, the Oregon defense gave up 32 points (the highest total they have surrendered all season). However, the defense stepped up when it counted, shutting out the Trojans in the 4th quarter when the game was still relatively close (Oregon's lead was only 11 after three quarters).

Saturday Thoughts, 10/23: #1 Falls Again

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 12:11:51 EDT

Ten thoughts on this weekend's action and my updated top-10 list.

1. Number One Falls on the Road Where have I heard this before?

Another week, another number one gets picked off away from home. Missouri came in better prepared than Oklahoma and beat the Sooners in every aspect of the game. This season is beginning to look very similar to 2007. No team is safe, and I’m pretty confident that we haven’t seen the last of these upsets. Oregon (AP #1) still has three very losable games left on their schedule. Playing in the SEC West leaves Auburn (BCS #1) vulnerable every week. Michigan State and Missouri face huge road challenges next week (Iowa and Nebraska respectively). It is becoming more likely that pollsters will have to eventually decide if a one-loss power conference team is more worthy than an undefeated TCU, Boise, or Utah.

3 to Challenge Butler for Horizon Leauge Title

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:58:35 EDT

Tuesday night, in an HLN exclusive online special, the preseason media/coaches' poll was released. To the surprise of just about nobody, the Butler Bulldogs were the unanimous pick to win the conference title after falling just short of the National Championship last season to Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils. After Butler, three schools (Cleveland State, Valparaiso, and Detroit) were tightly packed in second through fourth place with Milwaukee in a distant fifth. Shelvin Mack of Butler was selected preseason player of the year. The full report can be found here:

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/butler-unanimous-favorite-mack-chosen-player-of-the-year-in-mens-basketball-preseason-poll.html

The following article is based entirely off of my own opinion, the ballot I would have cast if I had one. I'll begin with player of the year and end with preseason power rankings. My preseason rankings will hopefully be the basis for a weekly Horizon League power rankings article once conference play begins.

Saturday Thoughts, 10/16

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 11:26:12 EDT

My Ten thoughts on this weekend's action, followed by an updated top ten list.

1. #1 Knocked Off Again

Another week, another #1 loses on the road. Surprisingly, poor defense played a large role in Ohio State’s loss in Madison. It’s clear that John Clay’s 100-yard rushing game (the first since Joe McKnight of USC in 2008) was the key to Wisconsin’s success. Not so surprisingly, special teams also proved to be a problem. When Wisconsin ran back the opening kickoff, you knew Ohio State was in trouble. Clay extended the lead to 21-0 with two dominating TD runs before a field goal finally put Ohio State on the board. A big interception and questionable personal foul put the Buckeyes in a position to bring the game close, but poor offensive execution left OSU with a long FG attempt that went wide left. Terrelle Pryor led a furious comeback in the second half, reducing the deficit to a field goal early in the 4th quarter. However, 10 consecutive Badger points and a late Pryor interception sealed Ohio State’s fate.

2010-11 Valpo Season Preview

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:13:31 EDT

The young 09-10 Valpo Basketball team had a solid comeback season from 08-09. Unfortunately, their run was ended by Detroit in a shocking first round upset at the ARC. With another year under their belt, here are my thougts on the 10-11 Valparaiso Crusaders.

On paper, the argument can be made that this year’s squad has more talent than any since Coach Drew came out of retirement after Scott took the job at Baylor. This year’s Crusaders are going to win games in a different way than most people are used to…they have the potential to a lot of points on the board. Defending Horizon League scoring champ Brandon Wood will be joined in the backcourt by scoring machine Jay Harris out of Oswego East HS. The scorers will be joined key players Cory Johnson in the post and 3-point shooter Ryan Broekhoff. Another huge advantage for the team is that 6 of the 7 players who played in all 32 games are returning. The two big questions for this year are: can the team finally beat Butler and can the team win Valpo’s first ever HL title?

Saturday Thoughts, 10/9

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 9:10:47 EDT

10 thoughts from this weekend’s action, followed by my top 10 list:

1. 2 weeks ago, Arkansas showed the world the blueprint for beating Alabama. 4 quarters of good quarterback play combined with a solid defensive effort was what was needed to take down the nation’s best team. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, the team played well through the first 3 quarters before falling apart in the fourth. Alabama was proven to be beatable, the question became “what team would be able to pull the upset?” It ended up being South Carolina with Garcia and the Gamecock defense stepping up after their bye week and a loss @Auburn.

2. Denard Robinson is a great athlete. By his senior year, Michigan's offense will be one of the nation's best and he'll have a legit case for the Heisman. Right now, he has to improve his throwing accuracy and get through his reads faster. Rich Rodriguez needs to put better offensive pieces around him and completely overhaul the Wolverine D. Until then, teams with solid passing games and competent defenses will have little trouble winning against Michigan. Iowa, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are all left on the Wolverine schedule and fit the description. Michigan will lose 2-3 more games this regular season. On the other side of the coin, Michigan State is for real. Sparty should be undefeated heading to Iowa City in two weeks. A win there, and MSU should earn at least a share of the Big Ten title and a trip to Pasadena.

The current state of Valpo Basketball

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:10:54 EST

The last two seasons have seen a dramatic shift in the fortunes of Homer Drew and his Valparaiso Crusaders basketball team. The former NCAA tournament staple has become a mediocre team struggling in the 2nd division of the Horizon League. The 08-09 season saw the end of the teams streak of 15 consecutive years winning at least 15 games. Valpo fans and alums have been left to ask themselves "what happened." As someone who has been on campus to witness these remarkable changes, I offer two key events (the 2006 recruiting class and the mass exodus following the 07-08 season) that changed the course of the VU basketball program, as well as a glimer of hope for the future.

The 2006 recruiting class. As the VU athletic department was preparing for the transition from the MidCon (now Summit League) to the Horizon League, an oddly small recruiting class came to the university. The class consited of 7'1" Callum MacLeod, a Junior from Wellingon, New Zealand who was expected to step in and play center from day one, and Samuel Haanpaa, a 6'8" swing man from Texas via Finland with a dead-eye for shooting the 3. MacLeod never panned out, averaging 11 mpg and 5 ppg as a Junior and 5 mpg and 2 ppg his senior season. Though he was a disappointment, Callum graduated by the time the team fell apart. Haanpaa, on the other hand, adapted to the college game quickly, averaging 12 ppg and 4 rpg as a freshman followed by a 10 ppg 3 rpg sophomore season.