Afternoon Kickoff 7/14
It's a big day in the college football offseason. With the release of NCAA Football '10, fans have something to hold them over until the season begins.
Last week, we went over how Sam Keller doesn't like that his likeness (height, weight, number, home state, appearance... everything but name) was used in the game while he played at Arizona State and Nebraska.
Well, sorry Sam. The NCAA Football series is about the only game I play -- and it's also quite popular with the Penn State football team -- so since I got my copy, today's Afternoon Kickoff presents a virtual projection of the 2009 season. I simply picked Penn State, started up a season and simulated through it.
Penn State regular season results (Preseason Rank: No. 8)
W 41-0 vs. Akron
W 47-20 vs. Syracuse
W 47-10 vs. Temple
W 44-0 vs. Iowa
L 27-17 at Illinois
W 42-14 vs. Eastern Illinois
W 41-6 vs. Minnesota
W 31-13 at Michigan
W 26-14 at Northwestern
W 23-14 vs. Ohio State
W 34-13 vs. Indiana
W 28-21 at Michigan State
Outside of the 44-0 Iowa result, nothing else here would be too shocking. Many people see Illinois as a trap game, and apparently EA Sports agrees.
Big Ten Standings
1. Penn State 7-1, 12-1
2. Wisconsin 6-2, 10-3
2. Ohio State 6-2, 9-4
2. Purdue 6-2, 7-6
5. Michigan 4-4, 9-4
5. Michigan State 4-4, 6-7
7. Northwestern 3-5, 8-5
8. Minnesota 2-6, 5-7
8. Iowa 2-6, 5-7
8. Illinois 2-6, 5-7
8. Indiana 2-6, 4-8
Really, the only expected things here are Penn State winning the Big Ten and Indiana finishing last. Otherwise, just about everything would be a surprise.
Penn State Stats
Passing
Daryll Clark - 3,011 yards, 27 TD, 2 INT, 68%
Rushing
Evan Royster - 1,385 yards, 5.1 avg., 13 TD
Stephfon Green - 570 yards, 3.8 avg., 8 TD
Receiving
Graham Zug - 98 catches, 1,434 yards, 7 TD
Brett Brackett - 75 catches, 930 yards, 8 TD
Mickey Shuler - 43 catches, 536 yards, 8 TD
Tackles
Michael Mauti - 75
Navorro Bowman - 63
Sean Lee - 56
Sacks
Jack Crawford - 5
Well, I think it's safe to say Graham Zug will not catch 98 passes for 1,434 yards. Both would be Penn State records by far. Brackett's 75 catches would also be a team record, and the 930 yards would by fifth most in Penn State history. Rushing numbers look reasonable, although the defensive numbers are a bit low -- particularly Lee and Bowman.
Heisman Trophy
1. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
2. Dan LeFevour, QB, Central Michigan
3. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
The good press continues for LeFevour in this blog.
BCS Bowls
Rose: Penn State 38, USC 0
Sugar: Texas 27, Boise State 20
Fiesta: USF 27, Central Michigan 20
Orange: Clemson 13, Oregon State 10
BCS Championship: Oklahoma 49, Florida 41
Penn State comes in at No. 2 in the postseason Top 25 after getting revenge in the best way possible against USC in Pasadena. I guess we should stat booking our trips.
That Fiesta Bowl matchup would without a doubt draw the worst TV audience in BCS history. On the other hand, a Florida-Oklahoma title game rematch is very likely and would get plenty of hype.
So there you have it. We'll save these predictions and see how the preseason predictions by the four of us compare with the virtual simulation when the season ends. It'll be just like the BCS formula.. comparing human football knowledge to computer football knowledge.
I'll make one prediction right now: Graham Zug will not catch 98 passes. Sorry, Graham. Score one for the humans.
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Quick hits:
-Bad news for Tennessee. (In the past, if I stopped right there, you'd probably assume I'm talking about an injury. Now, the first thing that comes to mind is probably "What did Lane Kiffin do?". This time it actually is an injury). Starting receiver Austin Rogers will likely miss the entire season with a torn ACL It's a big blow to a passing game that ranked 107th in the country last season.
-Urban Meyer will never coach at Notre Dame. It can be difficult to believe SEC coaches, Meyer's comment is awfully similar to Nick Saban's "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach" claim. Except in this case, Meyer won't go back on his word two weeks from now like Saban. And actually, I don't believe that Meyer will ever end up at Notre Dame -- at least not until after he makes a run at the NFL.
-Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel spoke with new Big East commissioner John Marinatto. When asked if he was looking to expand the conference, Marinatto said not unless Penn State wanted to join.
As much as Penn Sate belongs with Eastern schools, the Big Ten is a far better fit for PSU right now on many levels. Then again, the Nittany Lions would probably make a BCS game every year playing in the Big East. But it doesn't matter -- this simply won't happen.
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Video of the day:
Probably the most memorable moment from Nick Saban's NFL career
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