Thoughts on Teams that maybe Suprise

[Queen of Football]

Well It's getting close. Anybody know of any teams that maybe a suprise this year.

If WVU can get past Maryland I think they got a good shot at getting there clock cleaned at a BCS Bowl. They should go to a BCS bowl this year because the Big East is weak now.

If WVU beats Maryland I will be shocked. LOL Maryland got there number.

Kind of look for South Carolina to have a good team.

Another sleep is Kentucky those boys from the hills just could be tough.

Queen :cool:

[SDSurfn]

I like Purdue and Cal as surprise teams this year. Although I don't know how surprised some people will be. They are both solid, with good coaches, a favorable schedule, and lots of returning talent.

These teams might provide good value, especially early in the season before the public catches on.

[FlyersFan]

SAN DIEGO STATE.... returns just about everyone on a defense that was a top 10 defense in 2003. They have had a great recruiting class the past couple of seasons and they will be a big surprise....i wouldn't be a bit surprised to see them give Michigan all they can handle on Sept. 18th in the big house (see what they did to my Buckeyes last year in Columbus)....they will be on my initial play list for the season for sure.

CALIFORNIA.....will be one of the top teams in the Pac10 this season. They are not a huge surprise, but i think they will finish higher than most expect....should be a top15 team if they stay healthy IMO.

MIAMI (OH)......everything was all about big ben last year, but this team had an awesome defense and a ton of skill talent on offense. Most of that is returning, and if they can get some solid quarterback play, they may end up in the MAC title game.

ARIZONA....yeah, they will still be a poor team, but with the coaching changes, at least average talent and a new attitude in that program, they should be competitive this season. This might be one of those 3-8 teams that goes 9-2 vs. the number.

ILLINOIS....another putrid team from last year....however, much like AZ, they should be much more competitve. They have a very easy big10 road schedule and don't play ohio state or michigan. They won't make a bowl game, but could go 5-6 and be a nice spread team to bet on.

[Kevin]

Cal's qb has a bomb for an arm!

[Rivers4heisman]

NC State has a boat load of talent. If we can find someone at QB to not make mistakes, and TA stays healthy..... look out.

We get Miami, FSU, and Ohio State at home. Could be interesting.

[Queen of Football]

Rivers4heisman,

Your going to catch Miami coming off a cupcake game vs Lousiville then theu go to NC the next week. May catch Miami on a roll. But the FSU game they will have Flordia the week after and just may catch them with there pants down. GL to them this year in Football.

Queen :cool:

[Florida Shark]

ACC Surprise: Virginia
return 7 off, 8 def and maybe the best placekicker in the ACC. No NCState with Clemson, Maryland, Miami at home. Al Groh has them looking good.

Big 12 Surprise: Texas A&M
7 on off and def coming back. Fran will have them playing better this year. Not going to be great, but make a bowl game. At Utah will be tough, but Clemson might run into a buzz saw with the 12th man.

Big East Surprise: Rutgers
9 off and 8 def return. One of the top running backs in the Big East (Leonard) and no Miami or VTech. Bowl game for Rutgers.

Big Ten Surprise: Minnesota
7 off and 6 def return. The less on def returning the better! LOL 2 top O-lineman and 2 top RB's!

PAC 10 Surprise: CAL
7 off and 8 def return. Tedford is hotter than a $2 whore on nickle night! Should be easy non-conf schedule.

Can't wait until Aug 28! Thanks Queen for starting this thread! :thumbs:

[BUGS]

Mark it down, A&M will have a losing record this year again!!

[Baseballer]

SEC shocker: Auburn Tigers beat LSU at home in the third week of the season. Those fucking cajuns came too our house as small favorites two years ago with that same QB and we made them eat shit.
True they are way more talented than back then but with our home crowd in a frenzy I see a mild upset. I see us taking the SEC west. Our new offensive coordinator is pretty fucking good and our secondary will much improved. Watch out for the Auburn Tigers in 2004. Just when you think we are down we will surprise everyone.

[QuickNick]

Baseballer, So auburn made LSU eat shit huh???? Well I guess LSU made Auburn eat the whole damn OUTHOUSE, just for a little variety of flavor!!!

What you typed was totally unnecessary!!! I could not let it go by!!! With Saban playing all of his recruits, LSU will not be stepped on by Auburn or for that matter anyone in the SEC !!!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now on to my sleepers in the NCAA:

PAC 10

Cal Bears ( Started putting it together in the later part of last season and I look for them to continue from where they left off)


SEC

Vanderbilt (Returns 20 of 22 starters) Vandy is a team that just about everyone bets against and I believe the line makers will take awhile to catch up


Big East

West Virginia (with most of their starters back on offense and Miami gone, I look for the Mountaineers to have a great year)

[Rivers4heisman]

Thanks, Queen. We have faired well in the past with FSU and we get them in Raleigh this year on a Thursday night. And I know we will be up for Miami and OSU (especially after last year). Maryland, GT, and Clempson games will determine our season.

Best of luck to everyone this year!

[joepa66]

Here we go...thanks Queen for waking me up from the slumber I call baseball season!:thumbs:

Here are my surpirse teams to watch for:

PAC-10- Gotta love the Cal Bears...QB with an awesome gun and they can run the ball too! Love to watch Tetford's Bears open it up on UCLA et. al.

Big Ten- Sorry Lions you are still a middle of the road bunch of players. Look out for Ohio State again, that RB recruit Tony Ginn is a stud and made the PA boys look bad in the Big 33 game! But my surprise team is not much of a surprise but look out for Minnesota. They win, but not pretty, but they manage to win if not for giving up the big play now and then.

MAC- Miami reloads but watch out for Toledo....they have been in the race each of the last four years and manage to come up with some awesome athletes.

Big 12-Ok enough about Texas and Oklahoma, the 'Horns can't win the big ones. The mystery team each year that pulls the upset is Okie State per usual...even without Rashaan at WR.

ACC-Miami and FSU duking it out, but I like Virginia. That Al Groh is a great coach and they have a great defense.

SEC-Me thinks this could be a good race again with Florida and LSU being the kingpins. But, don't count out that damn Ole Miss. have you ever seen such an unlikely bunch of heroes. The 2nd stringer there has really got to be something eh!?

Big Easiest-I like WVU's chances. They've always had a good running team and pretty good defense. But Rutgers, look out...man they held their own on offense and put up some good #s against Miami and BC last year.

[FlyersFan]

Sorry guys, but UGA is the best team in the SEC. They WILL beat LSU at home and TENN at home. Might only slip once with SCAR or FLA. SEC champ is UGA..mark it down (no bias here either, i don't even like the SEC)

[Thor24]

Been Gone on Vacation..Just got Back..

Three Teams:
(Already have been Said..But I'll say Again)

California...Next best Team in Pac 10 to USC

Virginia...If QB does a Good job...Watch out for Them

As Queen has Told you All..WVU looks good in Big East..But watch Rutgers to have a Good Year and Cover as a Dog alot...and even Win some Upsets..


Football is Close...!!!

[Queen of Football]

Wow I maybe wrong on the WVU/Maryland game. Not going to jinx them but they should be able to make it a good game, final after 3 years. I can feel it I hear them yelling aready down here Lets Go Mountaineers. What an insult to WVU Las Vegas got lines on VT and Pitt to win Championship. Shame on them WVU in the Field may threw 10 bucks on WVU to Win Championship Look supose to win the Big East and no odds on them.

9001 OKLAHOMA +600
9002 MIAMI (FLA) +900
9003 USC +300
9004 FLORIDA STATE +900
9005 MICHIGAN +1400
9006 FLORIDA +2000
9007 VIRGINIA TECH +4500
9008 OHIO STATE +2000
9009 TEXAS +1000
9010 GEORGIA +500
9011 LSU +800
9012 AUBURN +3500
9013 TENNESSEE +2700
9014 ARKANSAS +12000
9015 N.C. STATE +9500
9016 MARYLAND +6000
9017 KANSAS STATE +2800
9018 NEBRASKA +3500
9019 COLORADO +13000
9020 MISSOURI +5500
9021 WISCONSIN +4500
9022 PENN STATE +6200
9023 VIRGINIA +4000
9024 NOTRE DAME +6200
9025 OKLAHOMA STATE +14000
9026 PITTSBURGH +11000
9027 WASHINGTON STATE +4500
9028 TEXAS A&M +9000
9029 CLEMSON +3500
9030 MICHIGAN STATE +9000
9031 WASHINGTON +13000
9032 ARIZONA STATE +7500
9033 OREGON STATE +6000
9034 GEORGIA TECH +7000
9035 MINNESOTA +6000
9036 UCLA +11500
9037 OREGON +5500
9038 IOWA +4500
9039 CALIFORNIA +3500
9040 FIELD (ANY OTHER TEAM NOT ON THE LIST) +1800

10 bucks on the Field to win 180

Would have been nice if they would have listed them for +11000 Like Pitt Must be scared of them this year. LOL

Queen :cool:

[Queen of Football]

Straight Wager MU [4263] WEST VIRGINIA SEASON WINS o8½-160 160 to win 100

Sat 1/1 Will the Field win the 2005 Orange Bowl?
06:00 AM 41 Yes +940

10 bucks to win 94
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sat 1/1 Will Notre Dame win the 2005 Orange Bowl?
06:00 AM 38 No -10500

10500 to win 100.00 Wager a small compact car to put gas in it for 3 weeks. Joking. LMAO

[BUGS]

Sorry, but I have to put a plug in here for my team, since no one else will!! I think Texas Tech will be a surprise team! They won't win the conference, but they are predicted to finsh 5th in the South by a lot of publications!! THIS WON'T HAPPEN!! Don't listen to the publications with this team!!



9/4 at SMU (W)
9/11 at N Mexico (W)
9/18 TCU (W)
9/25 at Kansas (W)
10/2 at Oklahoma (L)
10/9 Nebraska (W)
10/23 Texas (W)
10/30 at Kansas St (L)
11/6 Baylor (W)
11/13 at Texas A&M (W)
11/27 Okla State (W)

I have them going 9-2, but they could split between Texas and Nebraska!! I really don't ewxpect them to win both, but they possibly could!! They should've beat Texas last year in Austin!!

8-3 at worst, I believe!! A far cry from 5th in the South!!


Texas Tech has a 5th year Q.B that will probably start, and we all saw what happened last year when they had a 5th year Q.B starting in his first year in this offense!! They lose some of their biggest playmaker W.R's, but make no mistake, they reload at this position with Mike Leach!! They still have Taurean Henderson at R.B!! Watch for a Soph. by the name of Jarrett Hicks!! He's big (6'4 210) and can jump and catch the ball, ala Fitzgerald!! He will be a force!! he played quite a bit last year, but was overshadowed by others!! Also, watch out for Bristol Olamua!! He's a transfer from BYU!! He's a T.E and is big (6'5 230) and can run!! He won't drop balls, at all!! They have a new center, who is nasty!! Manuel Ramirez (6'4 330) is strong as an ox, and mean as can be!! He benches about 550, and squats 775!! This is an offensive line that only gave up 1 sack each to OU, and Texas in their games last year, and returns 4 on the OL unit!!

They return 10 of the starters on defense, which really sucked last year!! But, what do you expect with a lot of young players, and a new D scheme? This year, they are more experienced, and a year older!! They do have several playmakers on the D side, and expect this unit to be drastically improved!! Will they be a top 25 D? No, but they don't have to be!! Not with this offense!!

[$-train]

i'm in big ten land. minnesota and wisconsin.

[BUGS]

I wouldn't consider either Minny or wiscy a surprise team!! They both have solid programs right now!!

[MrHotPicks2]

Virginia
Alabama
Memphis
West Va
Missouri

[MrHotPicks2]

Originally posted by SDSurfn
I like Purdue and Cal as surprise teams this year. Although I don't know how surprised some people will be. They are both solid, with good coaches, a favorable schedule, and lots of returning talent.

These teams might provide good value, especially early in the season before the public catches on.

agree ... CAL may be decent

[MrHotPicks2]

Originally posted by Rivers4heisman
NC State has a boat load of talent. If we can find someone at QB to not make mistakes, and TA stays healthy..... look out.

We get Miami, FSU, and Ohio State at home. Could be interesting.

4th at VERY BEST for them in ACC

[spaceman]

Hey everyone. Looking forward to another college football season.

In my opinion Texas Tech is going to be a great team to bet on or against.

When they play a team they should beat I think they will win by a huge margin.

And when they play a team they shouldn't beat I think they will lose by a huge margin.

I will be betting on Tech when they are favorites and betting against them when they are dogs almost every week this season.

[Thor24]

Forgot One: Looking over my Notes:..

Memphis....Watch them...Memphis

Saturday...Where is the Football..???

[MrHotPicks2]

Originally posted by Thor24
Forgot One: Looking over my Notes:..

Memphis....Watch them...Memphis

Saturday...Where is the Football..???

yah i mentioned memphis .... they going to be good

[BUGS]

will be betting on Tech when they are favorites and betting against them when they are dogs almost every week this season.


Watch out with the Tech/Texas game, because 2 years ago Tech beat Texas as an underdog, and last year ALMOST and should have beat them again!! They will be the underdog in that game!!
Good game to bet against Texas, depending on the other factors!!

[hackman]

Originally posted by joepa66

Big 12-Ok enough about Texas and Oklahoma, the 'Horns can't win the big ones. The mystery team each year that pulls the upset is Okie State per usual...even without Rashaan at WR.

with, Rashauns lil brother (DONOVAN) at QB he will be a huge surprise talent for many teams. He is the best of the 3 brothers,, (D'JAUN WOODS) will be Rashauns replacement. Vernon Morency is better than Tatum was, and the D is gonna be much improved. A name that will be muched talked about is XAVIER LAWSON KENNEDY, this dude is mammoth.

thanks JOEPA , we wont win the big 12 but wil make some noise.
Cant wait to beat those f'n sooners in Stillwater AGAIN.:prtytme:

[gcvol]

Have missed the message board since college b-ball ended. I am fired up about the season coming up! Looking at everyone's predictions and tend to agree, however I haven't had much time to study the teams yet. Look forward to talking all these games trhough again. Good luck to everyone!

[Uncle Phezter]

And down the stretch they come...been waiting for this for a long time. Now that my real job has slowed down I can make time for my "hobby". Just getting started on research but leave it to Queen to get everyone hot and bothered already.

I live in Big 12 country:

Surprise team? Kansas. Defense is awful, but offense will be just as good if not better. Look for the overs early.

Biggest bust? Missouri. Brad Smith's Heisman campaign will last as long as the flavor of a stick of juicy fruit.

Agree with Bugs that Tech may surprise some people. Great schedule as long as they take care of business at KU (its hard to say that with a straight face)...they get beat there and the wheels fall off in a hurry.

[joepa66]

Hack,

OSU is one of my favorite teams when I play in a PS2 league. Love the take them on the sheet, they have been a big plus and seem to always come undervalued. Red Raiders are no slouch either...can't wait for football to start...damn...:yeah:

[Kevin]

Florida Shark is right about Minny, their run game is SICK!

[Rammajamma32]

Wouldn't count Alabama as a surprise or anything this year. If we win all the games that we have a chance in, we'll go 7-4, and if we wind up like I think we will, we'll go 5-6. Bama has ZERO depth, and we're going to be playing 10-13 freshmen on a regular basis. I'm not gonna touch it with a ten foot pole!

[SteveInNC]

South Carolina is at a crossroads with Lou Holtz. He may have risen to the level of his incompetence.

Vanderbilt will beat the spread consistently until the oddsmakers finally have to concede yes, they finally got better.

Alabama will crash and burn. Has anyone noticed how much their coach resembles Ricky Nelson? This is a totally personal observation, probably not rational, but some of my best wins have been from hot button reactions.

Tennessee has a great defense. Their offense is going to get its clock cleaned several times before getting it together halfway through the season, when too late to be in the championship hunt, they will start knocking off the remaining contenders. Bet against them early, with them late.

Don't bet against Rutgers.

USC may hold VT scoreless on opening day.

looks like my weekly pick of Cal is a consensus here.....not enough mention though of the Clemson Tigers.....I am a unit on each of them every week this coming season....

[Horatio]

ahhhh, I think I may raise a doubt about UVA. Went there...not necessarily biased nor claim inside info.
Groh is OK...but if you want to bet ACC, factioring in inflated point spreads, FSU and Miami and are the (predictable) ways to go. UVA lost two very valued prospects due to injury. They replace Schaub with Hagans. Not gonna surprise many this year I think.Groh is a good recruiter but...nah...no way UVA "surprises"anyone.


:thumbs:

[payday]

you left out the z to go along with the p in clempzon.

Dead: I am with you on the unit with the Tigers from the original Death Valley. Although, little tidbit, Duane Coleman broke his foot and will be out for the first few weeks of the season. The running game might suffer. Although there alre talks that Yusef Kelly dropped some weight and added quickness soo.....

NCSU might be another to give a good look to.

[Impoolin]

Tech is going to beat Nebraska, huh?

Other then that how is Cal a suprise team when everyone knows they are going to be 2nd in the Pac 10, that's not a suprise. Fresno St beating Kansas St. in the 2nd game (at K-State), now that's a suprise and remember you heard it here first!!!

[Queen of Football]

Ut oh. My Mounties are in trouble. This morning newspaper got quote for Coach. Im not Redshirting those two RB and save them for the next Coach." Early Line opened up at -24 on the East Caroline Game". Unless ole Coach is bluffing WVU will not be as good as expected. Complain Complain Complain that's all he's done this week at practice. Threaten to Kick the whole team off the field. Claims they are lazy and want to soak in the tub all day. I still say WVU made a mistake in hiring him. His style of football never did fit in up there. They should have hired Terry Bowden he did apply for the job the sametime when it was open. I really think WVU made a mistake. Use to be a couple guys years back that held up signs that said. Terry Bowden call home we need HELP call 1-800-WVU-SUXS. Mid-season if WVU ever on TV at home and they are losing, if you see that sign on TV that will be me. LOL

i agree that Cal isnt really gonna suprise anyone in regard to their play this year.....let me disagree and really take a chance at putting my foot in my mouth b4 the season even starts by saying that no one should be suprised to see them on top of USC by years end.....they were slow outta the gate last year except for the win over the trojans and never shoulda let UCLA past them....I think they sprint from the gate this year and wont need a 2nd wind in 2004.....

Queen....I too am concerned about WVU this yr.....i have been catching up with my CFB due diligence and right now I dont see laying on the Mounties too much if at all right now....by the way....I saw a grate dead show in Morgantown 4/10/83....were you there??

[Queen of Football]

No Dead I was not there but my sister was. She use to follow them around all over the East Coast. She's got over 50 ticket stubs. That's all she did during her Summer Break was chase them. That show up at Morgantown was her first Deadhead show and she was hooked after that. LOL

I really expected good things from WVU this year. It's a bummer that Coach Rich has already given up and the season has not ever started. I expected him to get this teams head out of there asses and have a good season so he could move on to bigger and better things. I was not a big fan of them hiring him in the first place. Rumor has it that Coach R is shopping around for another team. Yesterday he blamed all the problems on Media Jinx's. LOL He should be able to blame his problems on the Boosters and find a new home easy. Terry Bowden really wanted that job to get back in to coaching. But no the Boosters wanted Rich and the got him, but they not stuck with him I can tell you that much.

[Thor24]

Queen..You scared me at First..I thought there were some Injuries to the WR or Backs and I might have to Quit my Job and Play out my last 2 Yrs of Eligiblity...:thumbs: ..Boy that was Close..

Queen..You are Right..T. Bowden would have been Great for WVU...Rich will leave in 1 or 2 Years..

Keep an Eye on Memphis..:thumbs:

you shoulda been there....I have a long story that I wont bore anyone with regarding that show....just had a great time there....only time i was ever in Morgantown too....i am sure your sister had a great time as well....can you say "Hike"???

[Horatio]

on Virginia is the following: all is not well with a serious player there...of course Brooks might return, but if he does not...fade em.

Cavs' Brooks Misses 2 Practices in a Row

By Mark Schlabach

Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a freshman all-American last season, missed
his second straight day of practice yesterday, and Cavaliers Coach Al Groh said
the star player is dealing with "personal issues," but wouldn't say when, or if,
he expected Brooks to rejoin the team.

The player's father, former Washington Redskins defensive tackle Perry Brooks,
said yesterday that his son was unavailable to speak to a reporter. Asked why
Brooks had missed the Cavaliers' last two practices, Perry Brooks said, "We'll
let you know in time."

Asked if his son intended to return to the Cavaliers, who are ranked 16th in
the preseason Associated Press poll and considered a dark horse to challenge
Florida State and Miami for the ACC championship, Perry Brooks again said,
"We'll let you know in time."

In a teleconference with reporters yesterday, Groh wouldn't say whether he
expected Brooks to return to the team before the Sept. 4 opener at Temple.

"There are some personal issues that Ahmad is dealing with," Groh said.
"Personal also usually implies private, so out of respect to Ahmad and his
family and the team, I will have no comment other than to say that I have been
in constant contact with his family and we are all in complete compatibility
with regard to our thinking about this circumstance."

Groh said Brooks hasn't received his grades from summer school but indicated
the player's issues aren't related to academics.

Bill Brown, who coached Brooks in football at Hylton High School, said he
didn't "personally think" Brooks would miss the upcoming season.

"There are some personal issues that he's just got to get worked out," Brown
said. "I think he's working through those things right now. It isn't any kind of
confrontation with the team. It's something very personal that Ahmad is working
through."

Brooks, 20, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge on
July 29, 2003. Prince William General District Court Judge Wenda K. Travers
sentenced Brooks to six months' probation, 24 hours of community service and
ordered him to undergo substance abuse screening. According to court records,
Brooks completed the requirements of his probation and the charge was dismissed
Jan. 26.

Brooks, 6 feet 4, 249 pounds, started all 13 games at inside linebacker last
season and set a Virginia freshman record with 117 tackles. But he has spent
much of the Cavaliers' training camp working on the second-team defense, behind
senior Rich Bedesem, and Groh has offered little explanation as to why Brooks
hasn't been on the first team. Along with sophomore Kai Parham and junior Darryl
Blackstock, Brooks was expected to lead one of the nation's top linebacking
corps this season.

"He's been doing great," Groh said of Brooks. "This is the best training camp
that he's had. His attitude has been terrific. There's just some things that he
needs to have the opportunity to deal with."

The Cavaliers, 8-5 and 4-4 in the ACC last season, are ranked No. 16 in the
preseason Associated Press poll and were picked to finish third in the
conference behind Florida State and Miami.

Brooks was named USA Today's 2001 national defensive player of the year after
his senior season at Hylton High School and was the Post's 2001 All-Met
Defensive Player of the Year. He was ranked the nation's number one linebacker
by most recruiting services and signed with the Cavs after also considering
Florida State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. But Brooks failed to qualify
academically and enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va., before
enrolling at Virginia in January 2003.

Special correspondent Jim Reedy contributed to this report from
Charlottesville.

[Queen of Football]

Wow have not made my mind up yet. Got to get some more reports for Morgantown. But think this is a little High here. It was at 24 last week.

Sat 9/4 149 East Carolina +28.5 -105
09:00 AM 150 West Virginia -28.5 -105

Think If they jump out to a big lead the will back down and save some of the starters do to injury problems right now. If you go back to the past WVU has not beating East Carolina by that much for a while at home. Now last year they went to East Carolina and kick the crap out of them. But they hit them in 2000 before WVU was to play Pitt. WVU only won by 18. 2002 Beat ECU by 18 and had Maryland on deck the next week. But this year they are going to Central Fla after the ECU game. So Im waiting on more up dates for the game to make my pick.

[Chicken]

WVU is now -27.5 East Carolina has the worst band in the history of College marching bands. I'm not sure if this plays into anything, but I thought I would throw it out there.

Good luck, and enjoy the game Queen.

[Randy2635]

I love Cal at the end of last year but they seem to be everybody's darling which usually spells some disaster. My guess is Vegas might overinflate their value a little bit. I plan on staying away the first few games to see how this team reacts to larger expectations. Teams react differently when the pressure is on and out of nowhere there are major expectations from this program, I can easily see Southern Cal having their way with this team

[ozz]

Baseballer, yo good observation man, I think Auburn will be destorying some team this year as well. Whatever the line is, I'm taking them big on Sept 4th.