It started off ugly, but the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up a big win at home against the Denver Broncos, 34-27. It was a battle between the second ranked Steelers offense and the top ranked Broncos defense. The Steelers now advance to 9-5, while the Broncos drop to 10-4. Pittsburgh advances into the sixth spot in the AFC Playoff picture, while the Broncos drop down to the three seed in the AFC. If the season ended after this week, they would have a rematch, that will not realistically be a matchup we would see in the Wild Card.
It started off ugly, as the Steelers secondary was awful, looking like Swiss cheese out there. Brock Osweiler ripped them to shreds in the first half, throwing for over two hundred yards with three touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown. The Steelers offense's only first half touchdown came off of a Ronnie Hillman fumble that occurred in the Steeler red zone. They also tacked on two field goals, making it a 27-13 game at the half. But, after the half, it all changed.
The Broncos had four punts in their first four possessions, and the Steelers controlled the ball for most of the second half. The Broncos defense tired, not a recipe for success against Big Ben and the high-flying Steelers offense. Antonio Brown had sixteen receptions for 189 yards and two touchdowns, the first two allowed by Chris Harris, Jr. in two years! Roethlisberger was 40-55 with 380 yards, three touchdowns, and two picks. The one with 2:01 up seven, that gave the Broncos new life on their side of the field, where they promptly failed to get a single first down, again. Happened against the Bengals, and he needs to be smarter. But, 27 unanswered points game them the 34-27 victory, and the second week in a row the Broncos got shut out in the second half.
Brown needs to be in MVP talk. It has become an all quarterback award, which is ridiculous. Over 1,500 yards, 116 receptions and nine touchdowns, he's a game changer. That's playing four games with Mike Vick and/or Landry Jones as well. He's the best receiver in the NFL, and it's not close, whether Odell Beckham Jr. super fans or whatever. I mean, at the very least, Brown's team will at least be most likely in the Playoffs. I'll right more about his case later. Ben, if not hurt for those games, could possibly be in the conversation right now.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Northern Iowa Upsets Number Five Iowa State
It was the second time this year the Northern Iowa Panthers got a shot at a top five team, and again, they took them down. Last time, it was the North Carolina Tar Heels. This time, it was an in-state rival, the Iowa State Cyclones, by a score of 81-79 at the Big Four Classic in Des Moines.
Northern Iowa led throughout the whole game, led by some hot shooting from seniors Wes Washpun and Paul Jesperson, Washpun had a double-double with 28 points and 11 assists, both career highs for the Cedar Rapids Washington grad. Jesperson hit seven three-pointers on his way to 21 points.
It was 80-79 with twenty seconds to go and Iowa State just forced a turnover, and Georges Niang spun, and fell and threw the ball away. Washpun hit one of two free throws to make it a two point game, and Monte Morris missed a shot, giving the Panthers the win.
Northern Iowa upsetting Iowa State should not be a surprise to anybody. We saw the Panthers beat Kansas, one of the biggest upsets in Tournament history. We saw it against North Carolina. Ben Jacobsen is one of, if the not the most, underrated coaches in the nation. He's for sure the best coach in the state of Iowa. Many bigger teams have wanted him, but he has decided to stay in Cedar Falls, and he continues to win basketball games.
This was Iowa State's first loss, although it should've been their second, as Iowa and Fran McCaffery bailed them out. It was a tough week, losing Naz Mitrou-Long for the season with a hip problem after an off-season injury. They got Deonte Burton, a transfer from Marquette, eligible though. That is huge, considering the Cyclones go only seven deep, which is a huge problem. It gets tougher for them, going to Cincinnati to play on Tuesday.
Northern Iowa is 2-0 against top 5 teams. The rest of the nation is 3-46. That is a .061 winning percentage. UNI has a 1.000 winning percentage against top 5 competition. Not bad.
Northern Iowa led throughout the whole game, led by some hot shooting from seniors Wes Washpun and Paul Jesperson, Washpun had a double-double with 28 points and 11 assists, both career highs for the Cedar Rapids Washington grad. Jesperson hit seven three-pointers on his way to 21 points.
It was 80-79 with twenty seconds to go and Iowa State just forced a turnover, and Georges Niang spun, and fell and threw the ball away. Washpun hit one of two free throws to make it a two point game, and Monte Morris missed a shot, giving the Panthers the win.
Northern Iowa upsetting Iowa State should not be a surprise to anybody. We saw the Panthers beat Kansas, one of the biggest upsets in Tournament history. We saw it against North Carolina. Ben Jacobsen is one of, if the not the most, underrated coaches in the nation. He's for sure the best coach in the state of Iowa. Many bigger teams have wanted him, but he has decided to stay in Cedar Falls, and he continues to win basketball games.
This was Iowa State's first loss, although it should've been their second, as Iowa and Fran McCaffery bailed them out. It was a tough week, losing Naz Mitrou-Long for the season with a hip problem after an off-season injury. They got Deonte Burton, a transfer from Marquette, eligible though. That is huge, considering the Cyclones go only seven deep, which is a huge problem. It gets tougher for them, going to Cincinnati to play on Tuesday.
Northern Iowa is 2-0 against top 5 teams. The rest of the nation is 3-46. That is a .061 winning percentage. UNI has a 1.000 winning percentage against top 5 competition. Not bad.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Forty Bowl Games is Too Many
Later today, the FBS Bowl season kicks off. Yet again, there will be more bowl games than there were played last year, with the AutoNation Cure Bowl being added in. This year, there are forty different bowl games. Forty! Eighty FBS teams, when there are only about 120 or 130 FBS teams! That is ridiculous. The usual cut-off for a berth into a bowl game was six wins. Now, since there are so many bowl games, they had to go to 5-7 teams. This year, San Jose State, Minnesota, and Nebraska are the 5-7 teams. These teams were chosen based off of APR, and these three times were lucky enough to continue their seasons.
There are really 42 bowl games, but the Air Force Reserve Bowl between Alcorn State and North Carolina A&T is a FCS bowl between the historically all-black schools from the SWAC and MEAC respectively. This is the first playing of this bowl game.
Including that game there are six bowl games kicking off. The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl at 11, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl kicking off at one between Arizona and New Mexico. The Royal Purple Las Vegas bowl between Utah and BYU at 2:30. The Raycom Camellia Bowl between Ohio and Appalachian State at 4:30. The AutoNation Cure Bowl pitting San Jose State and Georgia State at six, at finally, the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl between Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech at eight. All times are central standard time.
Let's take about the AutoNation Cure Bowl. 5-7 Mountain West team against a 6-6 Sun Belt team. A bowl that doesn't really need to be played. GSU won two games in a three year stretch before this year, but somehow started 2-6 and came from 17 down in their last game to finish 6-6. SJSU is a 5-7 MWC team. Enough said. It's for a good cause, raising some money for Breast Cancer, but they could have a bigger game than this, maybe rename a bigger bowl.
Home games for New Mexico and Louisiana? Don't like it. New Mexico is actually playing in their home stadium. How do they experience the fun of traveling for bowl games if it's in your home stadium? The experience is a really big part of it.
The best game is the Holy War between BYU and Utah. A ranked team in Utah and a borderline top 25 team in BYU that is losing their head coach Bronco Medenhall. Although I complain, I always seem to enjoy the smaller bowls better, because we never know what to expect, teams I've never seen play before. Let's hope it's still a good bowl season, even with too many games.
My bowl pick-em has been hard this year, because of all of these teams I have no idea about. I won my group last year, but I don't really know some this year. My picks today are NCA&T, Arizona, Utah, Appalachian State, GSU, and LT.
There are really 42 bowl games, but the Air Force Reserve Bowl between Alcorn State and North Carolina A&T is a FCS bowl between the historically all-black schools from the SWAC and MEAC respectively. This is the first playing of this bowl game.
Including that game there are six bowl games kicking off. The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl at 11, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl kicking off at one between Arizona and New Mexico. The Royal Purple Las Vegas bowl between Utah and BYU at 2:30. The Raycom Camellia Bowl between Ohio and Appalachian State at 4:30. The AutoNation Cure Bowl pitting San Jose State and Georgia State at six, at finally, the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl between Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech at eight. All times are central standard time.
Let's take about the AutoNation Cure Bowl. 5-7 Mountain West team against a 6-6 Sun Belt team. A bowl that doesn't really need to be played. GSU won two games in a three year stretch before this year, but somehow started 2-6 and came from 17 down in their last game to finish 6-6. SJSU is a 5-7 MWC team. Enough said. It's for a good cause, raising some money for Breast Cancer, but they could have a bigger game than this, maybe rename a bigger bowl.
Home games for New Mexico and Louisiana? Don't like it. New Mexico is actually playing in their home stadium. How do they experience the fun of traveling for bowl games if it's in your home stadium? The experience is a really big part of it.
The best game is the Holy War between BYU and Utah. A ranked team in Utah and a borderline top 25 team in BYU that is losing their head coach Bronco Medenhall. Although I complain, I always seem to enjoy the smaller bowls better, because we never know what to expect, teams I've never seen play before. Let's hope it's still a good bowl season, even with too many games.
My bowl pick-em has been hard this year, because of all of these teams I have no idea about. I won my group last year, but I don't really know some this year. My picks today are NCA&T, Arizona, Utah, Appalachian State, GSU, and LT.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Cubs Agree to Deal with Jason Heyward
The Chicago Cubs made another big signing on Friday, taking away yet another St. Louis Cardinal player from their NLDS team. The last was way 37 year old pitcher John Lackey, and this time, it was a coveted young infielder by the name of Jason Heyward with a 8 year, 180 million dollar deal.
Heyward was born in 1989 in New Jersey, which makes him only 26 years old. So, this is rare for a player to be a free agent right in his prime. So, this was another reason he was such a hot commodity around baseball. He is more known for his glove, speed and on-base percentage. All of this made him a great fit for the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs have a lot of great young power, like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, and Javier Baez. A big problem for them was striking out way too much, with the Cubs leading the league in strikeouts. But, interesting enough, the Cubs also took a ton of walks, and the addition of Heyward will only help that total. This combo actually helped the Cubs sometimes, because it got dominate starting pitchers out of the game earlier than usual. A good example is at Wrigley, Matt Harvey got out after eight innings and the Cubs got the runs they needed in the bottom of the ninth to win the third game of a four series sweep in May. Heyward also adds speed to thhe Cubs lineup, something that the Cubs did not have much of last year, really only Dexter Fowler and Addison Russell provided much.
Heyward is now projected to lead-off with fellow newcomer Ben Zobrist behind him. Then Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year. Then power hitters Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler if he is not traded for power. Rounding it out is catcher Miguel Montero, the pitcher hitting in the eighth hole, and shortstop Russell. This may now be behind the Toronto Blue Jays as the best lineup in all of baseball.
The contract also has two years where he can opt out, the first being after year three. If the Cubs win the World Series by then and he walks, oh well. I think Heyward has always been overrated. He was a good pickup, but I don't think 180 million is a good price tag for a career .270 with only 97 home runs. But, it's better than what some people are getting paid, such as David Price getting over 200 million from the Red Sox. It is also interesting to note that both the Washington Nationals and the Cardinals offered him 200 million, showing he wants to win with the Cubs. Zobrist took less money as well to play for Joe Maddon and the Cubs. This is why the Cubs got all those free agents such as Alfonso Soriano the last time they were good, to win it all and break the curse with the Cubs. Heyward and Zobrist doing this makes a good statement for the Cubs, that they are here to win this year, not next year, this year.
Heyward was born in 1989 in New Jersey, which makes him only 26 years old. So, this is rare for a player to be a free agent right in his prime. So, this was another reason he was such a hot commodity around baseball. He is more known for his glove, speed and on-base percentage. All of this made him a great fit for the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs have a lot of great young power, like Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler, and Javier Baez. A big problem for them was striking out way too much, with the Cubs leading the league in strikeouts. But, interesting enough, the Cubs also took a ton of walks, and the addition of Heyward will only help that total. This combo actually helped the Cubs sometimes, because it got dominate starting pitchers out of the game earlier than usual. A good example is at Wrigley, Matt Harvey got out after eight innings and the Cubs got the runs they needed in the bottom of the ninth to win the third game of a four series sweep in May. Heyward also adds speed to thhe Cubs lineup, something that the Cubs did not have much of last year, really only Dexter Fowler and Addison Russell provided much.
Heyward is now projected to lead-off with fellow newcomer Ben Zobrist behind him. Then Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year. Then power hitters Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler if he is not traded for power. Rounding it out is catcher Miguel Montero, the pitcher hitting in the eighth hole, and shortstop Russell. This may now be behind the Toronto Blue Jays as the best lineup in all of baseball.
The contract also has two years where he can opt out, the first being after year three. If the Cubs win the World Series by then and he walks, oh well. I think Heyward has always been overrated. He was a good pickup, but I don't think 180 million is a good price tag for a career .270 with only 97 home runs. But, it's better than what some people are getting paid, such as David Price getting over 200 million from the Red Sox. It is also interesting to note that both the Washington Nationals and the Cardinals offered him 200 million, showing he wants to win with the Cubs. Zobrist took less money as well to play for Joe Maddon and the Cubs. This is why the Cubs got all those free agents such as Alfonso Soriano the last time they were good, to win it all and break the curse with the Cubs. Heyward and Zobrist doing this makes a good statement for the Cubs, that they are here to win this year, not next year, this year.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Steelers vs Bengals
A lot of big games in the NFL this weekend, and one of the biggest if not the biggest is the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) at the Cincinnati Bengals (10-2). This will be the second battle between the two AFC North rivals, with the Bengals winning the last one at Pittsburgh in week eight, 16-10.
Now, the Bengals have the Steelers at home with a win clinching them the AFC North crown. It doesn't really matter, because they will win it unless they lose out and the Steelers win out. So unless the Bengals absolutely fall apart. But, this is a big game for seeding.
The Bengals are in a three-way tie at the top with the Patriots and Broncos. The Bengals would be the one seed if they were to win out and the Patriots lose one game. But, they also have to play at the Broncos and the Patriots are really good. The Bengals hold the tiebreaker over the Patriots until week 16 via strength of victory. But, the Patriots beating the Dolphins, and the Bengals beating the Ravens flip the strength of victory.
The Steelers will play for the sixth seed. The Chiefs have an easy schedule and hold the head to head tiebreaker. The Steelers won Super Bowl 40 against the Seahawks as a six seed. This is an explosive offense that can outscore anyone on any given day. They are not even healthy, not even close. Bell, Pouncey, Beachum and Big Ben Roethlisberger missing a bunch of time. The secondary is a mess, with Antwon Blake, the second-worst cornerback in all of football. They are the most dangerous team to defeat the Patriots in the AFC because of that offense.
The Bengals defense will be led by Geno Atkins, and is one of the best in the league. The Bengals offense is great too. A.J green and Tyler Eifert, who are both on my 9-4 playoff fantasy football league, are killing it. Eifert will be listed as probable after missing last week scores a lot, and Andy Dalton isn't good in big games like this like 0-4 in the playoffs, so not good.
I project the Steelers high flying offense to win in a shootout, 27-24. I think that would put the two AFC North rivals on a crash course into the 3-6 game, the wildcard where Dalton and the Bengals have gone 0-4 in four years with Dalton at the quarterback helm, and Marvin Lewis at the head coaching helm.
Now, the Bengals have the Steelers at home with a win clinching them the AFC North crown. It doesn't really matter, because they will win it unless they lose out and the Steelers win out. So unless the Bengals absolutely fall apart. But, this is a big game for seeding.
The Bengals are in a three-way tie at the top with the Patriots and Broncos. The Bengals would be the one seed if they were to win out and the Patriots lose one game. But, they also have to play at the Broncos and the Patriots are really good. The Bengals hold the tiebreaker over the Patriots until week 16 via strength of victory. But, the Patriots beating the Dolphins, and the Bengals beating the Ravens flip the strength of victory.
The Steelers will play for the sixth seed. The Chiefs have an easy schedule and hold the head to head tiebreaker. The Steelers won Super Bowl 40 against the Seahawks as a six seed. This is an explosive offense that can outscore anyone on any given day. They are not even healthy, not even close. Bell, Pouncey, Beachum and Big Ben Roethlisberger missing a bunch of time. The secondary is a mess, with Antwon Blake, the second-worst cornerback in all of football. They are the most dangerous team to defeat the Patriots in the AFC because of that offense.
The Bengals defense will be led by Geno Atkins, and is one of the best in the league. The Bengals offense is great too. A.J green and Tyler Eifert, who are both on my 9-4 playoff fantasy football league, are killing it. Eifert will be listed as probable after missing last week scores a lot, and Andy Dalton isn't good in big games like this like 0-4 in the playoffs, so not good.
I project the Steelers high flying offense to win in a shootout, 27-24. I think that would put the two AFC North rivals on a crash course into the 3-6 game, the wildcard where Dalton and the Bengals have gone 0-4 in four years with Dalton at the quarterback helm, and Marvin Lewis at the head coaching helm.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Cubs Sign Zobrist, Trade Castro
Tuesday night was a big night for the Chicago Cubs at day two of the Winter Meetings, as they made two big moves. The first, was signing utility man Ben Zobrist from the Royals. Zobrist was one of the biggest names in hitters coming into the free agent season, and was connected to the Cubs as early as the Trade Deadline last season. This is because Zobrist was a favorite of manager Joe Maddon back when they were on the Tampa Bay Rays.
This is a great signing for the Cubs, as they finally get their lead off hitter they so coveted. You can plug him almost anywhere on the field, and he will be a plus-defender. But, right now the Cubs will most likely use him at second base the most, now that their is an opening. Zobrist signed with a four year, $56 million deal. The Giants and one other team offered the same amount of years for $60 million, but he wanted to play for Maddon to win a ring in his second stint with Maddon as a manager, and to win it in Chicago with the Cubs.
The other big deal was Starlin Castro being flipped to the New York Yankees. In return, the Cubs got Adam Warren, and a PTBNL, most likely Brendan Ryan. Warren can start or pitch in the bullpen, giving the Cubs much needed starter depth, while he could pitch out of the pen if needed. He had a mid-3 ERA last year for the Yanks, making 43 apperances, with about twenty of them being starting assignments. Brendan Ryan is a second baseman that is a career .230 hitter and hit witha small sample size, .210 in the pinstripes,
I would've liked to get more. There were rumors that Brett Gardner and Castro could be traded straight up, but that didn't happen. That would have locked up the center field position for the Cubs. I guess you could think of it like this; The Cubs traded Castro for Zobrist, Warren, and Ryan. Not that bad of a deal. I am disappointed that the Cubs had to get rid of Castro. He was the first prospect up, in 2010. I'll Never forget his debut. He hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat, and had six RBI's at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. That is where Schwarber had his best game, and where Jorge Soler hit a bomb during his first ever plate appearance in the MLB.
Castro had his ups and downs, but he was a backbone to this massive rebuilding project that worked so well. But, this trade was inevitable. Rumors started last year, and with Addison Russell taking his spot, and Javier Baez coming up, there's no room. That was made clear in August when Russell took Castro's shortstop position. Zobrist is a better fit at second base right now for the Cubs, and the Cubs had a need for another pitcher. The Cubs are done at the Winter Meetings most likely, but are still in the running for a center fielder and a trade for a young, controlled pitcher to have for the long-term, during this window of competing for World Series.
This is a great signing for the Cubs, as they finally get their lead off hitter they so coveted. You can plug him almost anywhere on the field, and he will be a plus-defender. But, right now the Cubs will most likely use him at second base the most, now that their is an opening. Zobrist signed with a four year, $56 million deal. The Giants and one other team offered the same amount of years for $60 million, but he wanted to play for Maddon to win a ring in his second stint with Maddon as a manager, and to win it in Chicago with the Cubs.
The other big deal was Starlin Castro being flipped to the New York Yankees. In return, the Cubs got Adam Warren, and a PTBNL, most likely Brendan Ryan. Warren can start or pitch in the bullpen, giving the Cubs much needed starter depth, while he could pitch out of the pen if needed. He had a mid-3 ERA last year for the Yanks, making 43 apperances, with about twenty of them being starting assignments. Brendan Ryan is a second baseman that is a career .230 hitter and hit witha small sample size, .210 in the pinstripes,
I would've liked to get more. There were rumors that Brett Gardner and Castro could be traded straight up, but that didn't happen. That would have locked up the center field position for the Cubs. I guess you could think of it like this; The Cubs traded Castro for Zobrist, Warren, and Ryan. Not that bad of a deal. I am disappointed that the Cubs had to get rid of Castro. He was the first prospect up, in 2010. I'll Never forget his debut. He hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat, and had six RBI's at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. That is where Schwarber had his best game, and where Jorge Soler hit a bomb during his first ever plate appearance in the MLB.
Castro had his ups and downs, but he was a backbone to this massive rebuilding project that worked so well. But, this trade was inevitable. Rumors started last year, and with Addison Russell taking his spot, and Javier Baez coming up, there's no room. That was made clear in August when Russell took Castro's shortstop position. Zobrist is a better fit at second base right now for the Cubs, and the Cubs had a need for another pitcher. The Cubs are done at the Winter Meetings most likely, but are still in the running for a center fielder and a trade for a young, controlled pitcher to have for the long-term, during this window of competing for World Series.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Zack Grienke Signs with Arizona Diamondbacks
The most shocking free agent signing in a while was Zack Grienke to the Arizona Diamondbacks, for over thirty million a year. This is a huge shift in the NL West, as Grienke goes from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Diamondbacks. In my mind this makes the Diamondbacks contenders for the NL West and the Wild Card. With an MVP contending first baseman and most underrated player in baseball, Paul Goldschmidt, and new uniforms, they should be a feared small market contender.
This also puts a HUGE hole in the Dodgers rotation. They have Clayton Kershaw, maybe Alex Wood, and that's like it. The Dodgers have overpaid for many players, but couldn't for their ace? Seems weird to me, and the Dodgers will probably regress. They have a lot of money and no salary cap to deal wit, so it'll be very interesting to see what they do, with a lot of the top arms off of the free agent market, maybe a trade. Such as the one that sent NL Batting Champion Dee Gordon to the Miami Marlins. But, I doubt the Dodgers would be afraid to pull the trigger.
This also puts a HUGE hole in the Dodgers rotation. They have Clayton Kershaw, maybe Alex Wood, and that's like it. The Dodgers have overpaid for many players, but couldn't for their ace? Seems weird to me, and the Dodgers will probably regress. They have a lot of money and no salary cap to deal wit, so it'll be very interesting to see what they do, with a lot of the top arms off of the free agent market, maybe a trade. Such as the one that sent NL Batting Champion Dee Gordon to the Miami Marlins. But, I doubt the Dodgers would be afraid to pull the trigger.
Cubs sign John Lackey
The Chicago Cubs made their first big splash in the free agent market, signing John Lackey from division rival St. Louis Cardinals. The deal is reportedly a short two-year deal that is worth o32 million dollars. It was expected that the Cubs were going to make a splash in the pitching market with a deep free agent field, although coming in to the offseason, the Cubs were thought to get a top starter. But, the price that the aces brought, was just too high for the Cubs, and in my mind, absolutely ridiculous. The Cubs were thought to be the frontrunners for lefthander David Price, but he went to the Red Sox on a seven year, 217 million dollar contract. I was a big fan of the Cubs considering signing him, but for around 31 million a year, it was not going to be worth it. Another problem with David Price, is that he was been just absolutely awful. He has no playoff wins, and has an awful ERA. For the Cubs, the deal just plain would not make any sense whatsoever. It was more of a desperation move by the Red Sox, a bad team who is desperate for success, after making terrible free agent signings the year before. the Cubs used patience to build a contender for probably at least 5 to 7 years.
So, the Cubs went with the veteran, who at 37, might be on his final contract. Lackey has got himself a reputation of not being that nice of a guy. He is always fired up on the mound, and when he doesn't get a call he thought he should of, he will stare down the umpire to make his thoughts known. Also, he divorced his now ex-wife, Krista, who was fighting breast cancer in 2011.
But, he will bring a veteran presence to this very young team that could always use some more. Also, this is big in an NL Central vantage point. These two teams will probably be the best two teams in the division, with the Pirates lurking. The Lackey signing puts a hole in the Cardinals rotation, who has already lost Lance Lynn with a torn rotator cuff for the entire 2016 season, while fixing a huge hole in the Cubs rotation. I'm excited about this signing, and this team is still trying to trade for a young, cheap starter with a long-term deal, with using their young prospect hitters.
So, the Cubs went with the veteran, who at 37, might be on his final contract. Lackey has got himself a reputation of not being that nice of a guy. He is always fired up on the mound, and when he doesn't get a call he thought he should of, he will stare down the umpire to make his thoughts known. Also, he divorced his now ex-wife, Krista, who was fighting breast cancer in 2011.
But, he will bring a veteran presence to this very young team that could always use some more. Also, this is big in an NL Central vantage point. These two teams will probably be the best two teams in the division, with the Pirates lurking. The Lackey signing puts a hole in the Cardinals rotation, who has already lost Lance Lynn with a torn rotator cuff for the entire 2016 season, while fixing a huge hole in the Cubs rotation. I'm excited about this signing, and this team is still trying to trade for a young, cheap starter with a long-term deal, with using their young prospect hitters.
Iowa-Stanford in 2016 Rose Bowl
On Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost a heartbreaker in the Big Ten Championship against the East champion Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans went on a 22 play ten minute drive that covered over 80 yards, that ended with a touchdown run from freshman L.J Scott, lunging the ball over the goal line just before his knees hit the ground. That left the Hawkeyes about 20 seconds to advance into big-legged senior kicker Marshall Koehn's range. But, C.J Beathard got sacked on a three man rush, and laterals on the last play failed. It was a 16-13 Spartan victory, in typical Big Ten fashion.
Now that the Hawkeyes dreams of an undefeated season and for their first National Championship since they claimed one in 1922, with the likes of Aubrey Devine and Duke Slater on the squad, Iowa was going to be New Year's Six bowl. The thought was that the loser of the Conference Championship game would fall below Ohio State, and Ohio State would get picked over them for the berth to the Rose Bowl, while Iowa or Michigan State would play in the Peach or the Fiesta Bowl.
But, Iowa only moved down one spot to number five, which meant that they could be selected to play number six Stanford, who won the Pac12 with two losses. Again, Iowa is being heavily picked against in this game, a common theme here of late. But, I think that this a great matchup. It is a traditional Pac-12 against the Big Ten matchup, and it has two similar styles of offense, as they are both pro style.
Both offenses have a great running game, but the most noticeable player for either side is the Cardinal's running back and Heisman contender, Christian McCaffrey McCaffrey will be the most explosive player by far that this Iowa defense will have played. McCaffrey is an absolute beast He wasn't known around the nation, but he has burst on to the scene as a top three player the college football world. Alone, on Saturday's game against the Southern California Trojans, he totaled 461 total yards. He even broke Stanford's Barry Sanders record for all-purpose yards in a season in the second quarter, very easily passing the 3,250 yards Sanders gained.
But, he will be going against Iowa's sixth ranked run defense. If anybody can shut down him, it must just be the Iowa Hawkeyes. Not only do they have a great run defense, they have a kicker, Koehn, who can kick it out of the end zone, taking out the kick return component of McCaffrey's game. They have a solid secondary as well, led by FBS interception leader Desmond King.
The Committee did the right thing, putting the Hawkeyes in ahead of the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes never looked good all year, and Iowa not only won their division, they did it without taking a loss. Also, Michigan State, with their backup quarterbacks, went into Columbus and won the game. Iowa played the Spartans really well. Say what you want about the Hawkeyes and their schedule or whatever, but they proved to people, such as Paul Finebaum, who was very anti-Hawkeye the whole ride through the season. This is the first Rose Bowl trip for the Hawkeyes since 1991, even in 2002 when they were co-champions with Heisman runner-up Brad Banks, when the Orange Bowl picked the Hawkeyes when the Rose Bowl was ready to take the Hawks. In 1991, the Hawkeyes lost to Washington 46-34.
Unlike the Hawkeyes, this is a common end of season destination for the Stanford Cardinal. This will be the third time in the last four years that they will play in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual. Even the granddaddy has a sponsor will a really long name, which is great, I guess. They beat Wisconsin 20-14, but lost in 2014 to Michigan State 24-20.
With how the Hawkeye fans took over Indy, there is no reason to believe that will be any different. I would think about 60 thousand Hawk fans would be there. Stanford fans might just have burn-out from coming to Pasadena three out of the last four times, even though it is in California. While Iowa came from the TaxSlayer Bowl last year in Florida, and weren't expected to do much. So expect a lot of Iowa fans that will come and drink Pasadena dry.
Now that the Hawkeyes dreams of an undefeated season and for their first National Championship since they claimed one in 1922, with the likes of Aubrey Devine and Duke Slater on the squad, Iowa was going to be New Year's Six bowl. The thought was that the loser of the Conference Championship game would fall below Ohio State, and Ohio State would get picked over them for the berth to the Rose Bowl, while Iowa or Michigan State would play in the Peach or the Fiesta Bowl.
But, Iowa only moved down one spot to number five, which meant that they could be selected to play number six Stanford, who won the Pac12 with two losses. Again, Iowa is being heavily picked against in this game, a common theme here of late. But, I think that this a great matchup. It is a traditional Pac-12 against the Big Ten matchup, and it has two similar styles of offense, as they are both pro style.
Both offenses have a great running game, but the most noticeable player for either side is the Cardinal's running back and Heisman contender, Christian McCaffrey McCaffrey will be the most explosive player by far that this Iowa defense will have played. McCaffrey is an absolute beast He wasn't known around the nation, but he has burst on to the scene as a top three player the college football world. Alone, on Saturday's game against the Southern California Trojans, he totaled 461 total yards. He even broke Stanford's Barry Sanders record for all-purpose yards in a season in the second quarter, very easily passing the 3,250 yards Sanders gained.
But, he will be going against Iowa's sixth ranked run defense. If anybody can shut down him, it must just be the Iowa Hawkeyes. Not only do they have a great run defense, they have a kicker, Koehn, who can kick it out of the end zone, taking out the kick return component of McCaffrey's game. They have a solid secondary as well, led by FBS interception leader Desmond King.
The Committee did the right thing, putting the Hawkeyes in ahead of the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes never looked good all year, and Iowa not only won their division, they did it without taking a loss. Also, Michigan State, with their backup quarterbacks, went into Columbus and won the game. Iowa played the Spartans really well. Say what you want about the Hawkeyes and their schedule or whatever, but they proved to people, such as Paul Finebaum, who was very anti-Hawkeye the whole ride through the season. This is the first Rose Bowl trip for the Hawkeyes since 1991, even in 2002 when they were co-champions with Heisman runner-up Brad Banks, when the Orange Bowl picked the Hawkeyes when the Rose Bowl was ready to take the Hawks. In 1991, the Hawkeyes lost to Washington 46-34.
Unlike the Hawkeyes, this is a common end of season destination for the Stanford Cardinal. This will be the third time in the last four years that they will play in the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual. Even the granddaddy has a sponsor will a really long name, which is great, I guess. They beat Wisconsin 20-14, but lost in 2014 to Michigan State 24-20.
With how the Hawkeye fans took over Indy, there is no reason to believe that will be any different. I would think about 60 thousand Hawk fans would be there. Stanford fans might just have burn-out from coming to Pasadena three out of the last four times, even though it is in California. While Iowa came from the TaxSlayer Bowl last year in Florida, and weren't expected to do much. So expect a lot of Iowa fans that will come and drink Pasadena dry.
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