Week 4: Thursday and Friday Night College Lights

Thursday, September 24th

• Cincinnati at Memphis 6:30 pm ESPN - AAC Thursday night show down!

Friday, September 25th

• Boise State at Virginia 7:00 pm ESPN - The Broncos head to UVA for a non-Power 5 vs. Power 5 showdown
• Stanford at Oregon State 9:00 pm FS1 - The Cardinal opened the season with a B1G loss; but rebounded in the Pac 12 opener vs. USC, as the Beavers look to get a Win in Pac 12 play!

Happy Palm Sunday: How are your March Madness brackets doing for you?

It's March and what a March indeed!!!

The Iowa Hawkeyes came up short in Fran McCaffery's third season at the helm.  But, the quest for a NIT run is brewing, as the Hawkeyes will find out today where their quarterfinal game will be played.  Could one more game be played in Iowa City with a bid for the Big Apple at stake?

• The Hawkeyes won the first round with a win over Indiana State in Iowa City
• The Hawkeyes won the second round with a win over Stony Brook in Iowa City
• A St. John's win on Palm Sunday at Virginia will seal a Wednesday night quarterfinal game in Iowa City.  A Virginia win will send the Hawkeyes packing for the East Coast a game early!

Enough of the NIT talk.  Let's talk about the real March Madness with the NCAA Tournament!

• Creighton and Wichita State men and women are in the Big Dance
• Iowa State men and women are in the Big Dance
• The Iowa Hawkeyes women are in the Big Dance
• How are your brackets doing through halfway point of the Third Round?

It is going to be an interesting Palm Sunday with monster games on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV...

• Iowa State vs. Ohio State, 11:15 a.m. on CBS
• Indiana vs. Temple, 1:45 p.m. on CBS
• North Carolina vs. Kansas, 4:15 p.m. on CBS
• Minnesota vs. Florida, 5:10 p.m. on TNT
• Florida Gulf Coast vs. San Diego State, 6:10 p.m. on TBS
• LaSalle vs. Mississippi, 6:40 p.m on TruTV
• Illinois vs. Miami-FL, 7:40 p.m. on TNT
• Creighton vs. Duke, 8:40 p.m. on TBS
• Note: Some start times are approximate (all are Central Time)

The Road to Omaha is Complete; College World Series: Play Ball!

The new TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha will host the College World Series this year for the first time. The memories of old Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha will be replaced with a new downtown facility close to hotels and Omaha's Old Market district.

Eight teams will battle in this year's double elimination bracket, followed by the best of three games championship series format for the 2011 tournament. The 2010 College World Series champs are back, with South Carolina in Omaha to defend their title.

Bracket 1: (starts Saturday, June 18Th)

• Game 1 - North Carolina vs. Vanderbilt


• Game 2 - Texas vs. Florida

Bracket 2: (starts Sunday, June 19Th)

• Game 3 - California vs. Virginia


• Game 4 - South Carolina vs. Texas A&M

Twenty years ago, Creighton and Wichita State faced off in the 1991 College World Series in one of the most memorable games at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. The losing pitcher that day was Creighton's Brian O'Connor. O'Connor is back in 2011 as the head coach leading the Virginia into the 2011 CWS.

New memories begin in 2011 at the College World Series in the new downtown venue in Omaha.

peace

Breaking down the Atlantic Coact Conference in Football for 2009

Where will the Atlantic Coast Conference teams fall in the BCS and as a conference in 2009?

• Less of a consensus in each division in 2009?
• The ACC didn't finish in the Top 13 in either final poll last year
• It's been 10 years, since the last BCS title came from ACC

Ranked teams in the AP and Coaches' preseason polls:

• #7 Virginia Tech
• #15 Georgia Tech
• Florida State at either #18 or #19
• North Carolina at either #21 or #20

Some magazines do like these ACC teams in the Top 25 preseason:

• Miami-FL
• Clemson
• Wake Forest

Teams rebuilding in 2009

• Boston College (at Notre Dame, Oct. 24Th)

Teams not quite ready for prime time in 2009?

• North Carolina State
• Maryland

Will the Atlantic Division finish this way in 2009?

1. Florida State (5-3 in '08) (21-14-2 in bowls)
2. Clemson (4-4) (15-16)
3. North Carolina State (4-4) (12-11-1)
4. Wake Forest (4-4) (6-3)
5. Boston College * (5-3) (13-7)
6. Maryland (4-4) (10-11-2)

Will the Coastal Division finish this way in 2009?

1. Virginia Tech * (5-3 in '08) (8-14)
2. Georgia Tech (5-3) (22-15)
3. North Carolina (4-4) (12-14)
4. Miami-FL (4-4) (18-14)
5. Virginia (3-5) (7-10)
6. Duke (1-7) (3-5)

* denotes 2008 team in ACC title game (source for above list)

Last BCS title winner

• 1999, Florida State

Kickoff Game of the Season

Thursday, Sept 3

South Carolina @ NC State

7:00 PM, Raleigh, N.C.

TV: ESPN

Final Look at the ACC teams, using the preseason Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings:

1. Virginia Tech (#9 in Sagarin ratings) - Back to back BCS bowls at Orange... young Hokies beat Cincinnati 20-7 last year and return 40 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 7 DEF starters plus punter as Hokies enter 23rd season with coach Frank Beamer at helm.


2. Florida State (#20) - Coach Bobby Bowden enters his 34Th season coming off a 42-13 win over Wisconsin in Champ Sports... 53 letterwinners, with 8 OFF and 5 DEF starters, but two new kickers must emerge as Seminoles open with Miami-FL on Labor Day.


3. Clemson (#21) - Interim Dabo Swinney is new head coach and comes in with a 4-3 record, including 21-26 loss in Gator to Nebraska... 53 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 8 DEF starters, but must replace both kickers as Tigers need to rebound from 7-6 in '08.


4. Boston College (#22) - Third new coach for Eagles in four seasons, with Frank Spaziani promoted from DC position. He enters his 13Th season at BC, with 40 letterwinners back, with 7 OFF and 7 DEF plus PK... rare BC lost in Music City in '08 14-16 to Vanderbilt.


5. Wake Forest (#30) - Looking to get back to BCS for first time in three seasons under coach Jim Grobe, entering 9Th season at Wake... 44 letterwinners back, with 9 OFF and 4 DEF plus punter. Demon Deacons are coming off 29-19 win at EagleBank over Navy.


6. Miami - FL (#36) - Unlike the others that joined Miami-FL from the Big East, the Hurricanes have yet to play in an ACC title game... coach Randy Shannon is in year 3 and returns 49 letterwinners, with 8 OFF and 7 DEF plus both kickers. Hurricanes lost 17-24 at Emerald vs. California to close out '08. Open season with at FSU, bye, vs. Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech and hosting OU.


7. Georgia Tech (#42) - Is it the style of play of a coach Paul Johnson team that makes the Yellow Jackets a tough out and a Top 25 team? Johnson enters year 2 with 51 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 8 DEF plus their dual PK/PT back. The Yellow Jackets didn't appear too well at Chick-fil-A losing to LSU 3-38 and likely why low on Sagarin.


8. Maryland (#45) - Coach Ralph Friedgen enters his ninth year coming off a bowl win in the Humanitarian 42-35 over Nevada... 38 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 4 DEF back plus punter... The Terps open the '09 season at California for a solid ACC-Pac Ten match up.


9. Virginia (#46) - Coach Al Groh also enters his ninth year and are looking to get back to a bowl after a 5-7 record last year... 36 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 6 DEF back plus both kickers. Virginia opens '09 with games vs. William & Mary, TCU and @ Southern Miss. The other OOC game will be after the ACC opener at UNC, when IU comes from the Big Ten.


10. North Carolina (#52) - Are the Tar Heels the most overrated team (polls vs. Sagarin?) in the ACC and nationally, after one takes the Sagarin ratings into account. Butch Davis factor at work? Tar Heels lost Meineke Bowl in '08 30-31 to West Virginia (first bowl since '04).


11. North Carolina State (#58) - Coach Tom O'Brien enters his third year at NC State, after coming over from BC... 31 letterwinners, 7 OFF and 7 DEF back plus PK. The Wolfpack played in their first bowl, since '05, with 23-29 loss to Rutgers in Pappajohns.com.


12. Duke (#89) - Coach David Cutcliffe enters year two, after finishing 4-8 last year. Blue Devils have not gone to a bowl game, since the 1994 season... 33 letterwinners return, with 6 OFF and 5 DEF and both kickers. OOC is Richmond, @ Army, @ Kansas and North Carolina Central for Homecoming to open '09 season.

A look back at last year's statistics in the ACC.

peace