---NBA fans may have recognized that Celtics reserve Sam Cassell's Chinese love-child competed in the women's all-around gymnastics final this evening. Cassell-Yang Yilin won the bronze medal after Americans Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson walked away with the gold and silver. Nonetheless, Sammy has to be gushing with pride tonight.
What a year for the Cassell clan! Wait......what?
---I happily admit that I've always thought of Alanis Morissette's blubbering as overrated, self-indulgent pap. And now it's been revealed that the inspiration for her psychotic "You Oughta Know" screed was none other than Full House's Dave Coulier. No joke. Mrs. Ed just plummeted several stories on the "hipster cool" (or however the kids say it nowadays) skyscraper.
"Blog Poll?" Yes, Blog Poll. An explanation can be found here.
Anyhoo, allow me to present the official ACCFR preseason Blog Poll ballot in all it's glory. Bash away if you like.
Rank
Team
1
Ohio State
2
Oklahoma
3
Southern Cal
4
Florida
5
Missouri
6
Georgia
7
Texas
8
West Virginia
9
Auburn
10
LSU
11
Clemson
12
Wisconsin
13
Brigham Young
14
Wake Forest
15
Oregon
16
South Florida
17
Texas Tech
18
Arizona State
19
Kansas
20
Virginia Tech
21
Penn State
22
Tennessee
23
Utah
24
Illinois
25
North Carolina
BRAIN DROPPINGS --This specific ballot is a power poll. I'm ranking teams based on how good I think they are, not where I think they'll finish at the end of the year. I'll switch to resume-ranking sometime in the first few weeks of the season.
--All in all, a pretty boring ballot, and not much different than what you'll see in the preseason mags and on ESPN et al, except for that curveball at #25. And I'm deadly serious about the Heels this year.
--I'm backlashing the backlash against Ohio State. Yeah, I get it, they got dominated in the last two title games. They play in - debatably - the worst BCS league. But you tell me who's a better team heading into 2008. USC? We'll find out on Sept. 13. Oklahoma? They got drilled in a BCS game last year too and not by the national champs. Defensively challenged Florida, coming off a 4-loss year? I don't think so. Georgia? Overrated and they're losing players almost daily to injury and to the county clink.
--Conference call: ACC (4 teams), Big East (2), Big Ten (4), Big XII (5), Pac 10 (3), SEC (5), Mountain West (2).
2007 Results: 11-3 overall, 6-2 ACC (1st Atlantic Division); beat Michigan State 24-21 in the Champs Sports Bowl
Offense: Gone are quarterback Matt Ryan and running backs Andre Callender and LV Whitworth - along with 99.3% of last year's passing and rushing yardage. That's correct, 99.3%...not to mention the incalculable intangibles Ryan and Callender brought to the field on every play. That's a bit of a problem. Stepping into Ryan's fairly ginormous shoes is senior Chris Crane, who probably would've benefited from a little more field time last season (he threw just 4 passes in all of 2007). On the plus side, Crane does have one start in his career, a mostly error-free outing vs. Buffalo in 2006. Of greater concern, running back is even less experienced, with true freshman Josh Haden expected to shoulder much of the load as the Eagles will likely field three-receiver sets most of the time. And receiver is where the Eagles are mercifully stocked; Rich Gunnell and Brandon Robinson (1,740 yards and 12 TDs combined last year) are back, along with future NFL-er Ryan Purvis at TE (54 catches in '07). Three starters are gone from last year's so-so OL, but things should click a little better in year two of the Jeff Jagodzinski/Steve Logan system. Still, the combination of inexperience at QB and RB, along with the unproven OL means that a dip in production - and an increase in mistakes - on this side of the ball is a near certainty in 2008.
Defense: The defense appears a little sturdier heading into 2008, anchored by a front seven that should be among the best in the ACC. The return of tackle BJ Raji (missed 2007 due to academics) should offset the losses of linemen Nick Larkin and Brady Smith. All of the linebackers have starting experience as well, and the return of the feisty Brian Toal (missed 2007 due to injury) should kick the LB corps up a notch this season. The secondary is another matter. The losses of free safety Jamie Silva and CB DeJuan Tribble to the private sector leaves the defensive backfield devoid of proven leadership and playmakers, as SS Paul Anderson is the only returning full-time starter. Nonetheless, the BC defense is the unit that will carry this team early in the year and perhaps beyond that.
Special Teams: Kicker Steve Aponavicius is back for his final season in Chestnut Hill, but is limited by range (just 50% on field goal attempts over 30yds last year, and he didn't attempt any over 50yds). The punt return game took a major hit with the losses of Tribble and Silva. KRs Jeff Smith (injured most of last season) and Brandon Robinson are back. No info on who will take over punting duties from the recently graduated Johnny Ayers.
Coaching: For a guy who merely went 11-3 in his first season as a head coach at any level, Jeff Jagodzinski has gotten a ridiculously minuscule amount of publicity and notice. Sure, it helped that he inherited a loaded team and a once-in-a-generation QB, but taking the Eagles to #2 in the polls in November and to the conference championship game couldn't even garner Jags the ACC Coach of the Year honor (Al Groh of all people nabbed that title). Whatever he may become as a head coach in the long term, he sure as hell handled the less-than-smooth transition from the O'Brien Era brilliantly and he surrounded himself with excellent assistants in OC Steve Logan and DC Frank Spaziani. I'm more interested in seeing whether he can take recruiting to another level at BC and how he handles the gauntlet that the Atlantic Division is becoming.
Odds & Ends: BC's 30-9 overall record and 16-8 ACC mark since joining the league in 2005 are both the second best in the conference over those three seasons....the Eagles have lost to every Atlantic Division rival at least once since joining the ACC except Clemson; BC has beaten the Tigers three straight times by seven total points (and twice in overtime)....last year's 28-14 win over Miami was BC's first over the 'Canes since the 1984 Hail Flutie classic
Schedule Analysis: Very manageable....at first. The first five games are broken up by two bye weeks and the TOB-Bowl at N.C. State looks to be the toughest of the early contests. Having those two bye weeks early in the season is probably a good thing for the inexperienced offense, but things get awfully grueling over the last seven weeks - each of those seven opponents is expected to go bowling this season. The last three games may be the most trying stretch of all - road trips to Tallahassee and Winston-Salem, then home with Maryland. If the Eagles haven't locked up a bowl bid by game nine, they're in some trouble. For the first time in a while, there are no Thursday-nighters for BC this season. Duke, Miami, and Virginia are absent from this year's slate. Projected Wins: Kent State, Georgia Tech, UCF, Rhode Island, Notre Dame Projected Losses: @North Carolina, Clemson, @Florida State Toss-Ups: @N.C. State, Virginia Tech, @Wake Forest, Maryland
2007 Results: 7-6 overall, 4-4 ACC (3rd Coastal Division); lost to Fresno State 40-28 in the Humanitarian Bowl
Offense: To put it mildly, this should be an fascinating unit to watch over the next few seasons. The switch over to Paul Johnson's triple-option-spread is as big of an overhaul as you're likely to see in any other major program for quite awhile. On the plus side, the Jackets appear to have the talent to make it work - eventually. Sophomore QB Josh Nesbitt (53 carries, 339 yards under Chan Gailey's clunky attack) appears to have locked up the position. Tech's always potent stable of running backs will be most helpful in this offense, with sophomore Jonathan Dwyer likely being the feature back (called the "B-back" in Johnson's offense), usually called on to pound the ball up the middle like a fullback. The likes of Calvin Johnson and Kelly Campbell can rest assured that their receiving records are untouchable as long as Johnson reigns in Atlanta. Yes, the Jackets will throw the ball more often than Johnson did at Navy, but not nearly as much as they did under Chan Gailey (and that's probably a good thing - former Tech QBs Reggie Ball and Taylor Bennett completed less than 50% of their passes each of the last four years). Despite all the young talent at QB and RB, the offense won't do much if the young OL doesn't pick up on the new blocking schemes quickly and completely. Four of the first-team linemen have some starting experience, but only one (LT Andrew Gardner) was a full-time starter last year.
Defense: Much like last season, the Jacket defensive line should be a monster, anchored by senior tackles Darryl Richard and Vance Walker. DE Michael Johnson, at 6'7", should bat down approximately 700 passes this season against the generally weak-armed quarterbacks of the ACC. The linebackers and secondary are another matter. 2007's top two LBs in Phillip Wheeler and Gary Guyton are gone, along with much of last year's disappointing secondary. However, the two bright spots in the '07 secondary - Jahi Word-Daniels and Morgan Burnett - are back and will likely be tutoring a lot of freshmen this season. But the biggest concern of all is the loss of Jon Tenuta at defensive coordinator. Johnson brought in Southern Miss LB coach Dave Wommack to take charge of the defense and let's just say I'm not entirely impressed with that move.
Special Teams: Ouch. Gone are Ray Guy Award winner Durant Brooks and 12-year kicker Travis Bell (OK, it just seemed like he was there since about 1995). Sophomore Scott Blair, who handled kickoffs last year, likely will perform all three kicking duties this season. The leading returners are all back, but since most of them are also RBs, you have to wonder if Johnson will install new personnel on returns in order to keep his backs fresh and safe for the offense.
Coaching: The hiring of Paul Johnson from Navy ushers in an era of enthusiasm not seen in Atlanta since the days of Joe Hamilton and perhaps even as far back as the 1990 national title team. I have no doubt that Johnson's offense - which is adaptable according to personnel - can work in the ACC, it's just a matter of when. And when is also the question Jacket fans have on their mind in terms of beating Georgia. Gailey's 0-6 mark against the Dawgs was the single biggest reason for his dismissal, and Johnson's domination of Army and Air Force while at Navy gives Ramblin' Wreck fans hope that Tech can turn the tables on UGA, and soon. However, the loss of uber-DC Jon Tenuta is a tough blow to overcome, and the hiring of Dave Wommack (LB coach at Southern Miss last year, DB/LB coach at South Carolina in 2005-06) as his replacement leaves me skeptical about the continuation of dominant Yellow Jacket defenses. Nonetheless, long term, Paul Johnson might be the best hire in the ACC in years. Short term, it's probably going to be a bumpy ride.
Odds & Ends: With their 17-14 win over Miami last year, Georgia Tech joined Florida State and Virginia Tech as the only schools since 1983 to have beaten the Hurricanes in three consecutive years.....Paul Johnson went 4-7 against ACC schools while at Navy, but all four wins (and one of the losses) were against Duke.....in a backup role last season, RB Jonathan Dwyer averaged a touchdown every nine carries (82 rushes, 9 TDs)
Schedule Analysis: Johnson probably couldn't have picked a less-friendly overall schedule for his inaugural year. Yes, Jacksonville State is a welcome tune-up in the opener, but the Jackets get thrown to the fire almost immediately after that, travelling to Boston College and then Virginia Tech in weeks two and three before returning home to face suddenly resurgent Mississippi State. And then Tech gets a bye week before facing....Duke. Road trips to Clemson, North Carolina and national-title favorite Georgia are the major second-half-of-the-season challenges, along with a renewal of their rivalry with Florida State (the two haven't played since 2003 thanks to expansion). Despite two 1-AA opponents on the slate, this is still the toughest overall schedule in the league this season, due to the brutal opening weeks, unfriendly road contests, and unhelpful placement of bye weeks. Maryland, N.C. State and Wake Forest are absent from this year's slate. Projected Wins: Jacksonville State, Duke, Gardner-Webb Projected Losses: @Boston College, @Virginia Tech, @Clemson, @North Carolina, @Georgia Toss-Ups: Mississippi State, Virginia, Florida State, Miami
So I saw that the Preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll was released the other day. #1 is a mild surprise, but not entirely off the wall. The ACC placed just three teams in the poll, as you can see below:
1. Georgia 2. USC 3. Ohio State 4. Oklahoma 5. Florida 6. LSU 7. Missouri 8. West Virginia 9. Clemson 10. Texas 11. Auburn 12. Wisconsin 13. Kansas 14. Texas Tech 15. Virginia Tech 16. Arizona State 17. Brigham Young 18. Tennessee 19. Illinois 20. Oregon 21. South Florida 22. Penn State 23. Wake Forest 24. Michigan 25. Fresno State
Others Receiving Votes: Alabama 83, South Carolina 64, Utah 60, Rutgers 53, Florida State 53, Boston College 47, California 41, Pittsburgh 34, Boise State 25, Oregon State 23, Nebraska 17, Cincinnati 13, Virginia 12, Connecticut 9, Michigan State 9, Mississippi State 6, Notre Dame 5, TCU 5, Kentucky 5, Maryland 4, North Carolina 3, UCLA 3, Texas A&M 3, Georgia Tech 2, UCF 2, Louisville 2, Colorado 1, Tulsa 1, Oklahoma State 1, Arizona 1
Three ACC clubs in the poll, six in the "others receiving" category, and Miami isn't among them. Weird.
Clemson and Virginia Tech are ranked about where I expected, based on their showings in the plethora of preseason publications. Wake makes a welcome appearance in the poll, and it is gratifiying to see the Deacs getting that level of respect...it looks like people really are paying attention to the machine Jim Grobe has built. I'm surprised Virginia and Georgia Tech got any votes. Florida State, Boston College, Maryland, and North Carolina's number of votes look about right to me.
Nationally, Georgia at #1 is a reach. On the one hand it's nice to see someone other than USC at the top of a preseason poll, but the Trojans, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida and LSU all have valid cases for that top spot heading into 2008 and - unlike the Dawgs - those schools have proven they can finish at #1 with their current coaching staffs. UGA's getting a little too much love from beating the poi out of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl and for beating Florida for just the third time since 1990.
As for conference comparisons among the BCS leagues, this is what we have:
-SEC (12 teams)- 5 ranked (42%), 4 also getting votes (33%) -Big XII (12 teams)- 5 ranked (42%), 4 also getting votes (33%) -Big Ten (11 teams)- 5 ranked (45%), 1 also getting votes (9%) -ACC (12 teams)- 3 ranked (25%), 6 also getting votes (50%) -Pac 10 (10 teams)- 3 ranked (30%), 4 also getting votes (40%) -Big East (8 teams)- 2 ranked (25%), 5 also getting votes (63%)
For all the self-inflicted damage the ACC has wrought upon itself the last few years - along with the generally dismissive coverage the league gets in the blogosphere and national media - I'm a tad surprised to see 75% of the ACC either ranked or getting votes. The SEC and Big XII deservedly garner the most respect in the preseason poll. The Big East actually has the best percentage of ranked-or-getting-votes with 7 out of 8 clubs showing up, but the quick collapse of Louisville and Rich Rod's departure from Morgantown last season showed just how fragile the league's football rep really is and this season might just begin the Big East's fall out of the BCS orbit in terms of overall quality, stability, and depth.
Getting back to the ACC, I think Clemson is Georgia-lite...they're getting too much love for too little reason. Virginia Tech is garnering a few legacy votes...#15 is a reach considering the offseason personnel losses. Wake should probably be where the Hokies are in terms of ranking. Florida State and Boston College are in decent shape to vault into the poll with a few early wins. Maryland and/or North Carolina are primed to jump into the rankings with fast starts, and deservedly so. Virginia and Georgia Tech may not see another vote again after the season kicks off. And Miami....O Brother, Where Art Thou?
That is my only logical conclusion from my experience aboard the Carnival Holiday this past week. We departed from Mobile, AL on Monday morning (July 28) and just got back today. Actually, I'm not quite back...I'm posting from the Mobile "Airport" waiting on a flight to Atlanta and then to Tampa. Anyway, like a good blogger, I had planned on posting a few entries here during those "Fun Days at Sea" in between ports of call.
But that was before my initial experience at the internet cafe on the ship, when I was told that their wireless service - whether I used my laptop or one of their desktop clunkers - was $0.70 a minute. Or perhaps I would like the "value rate" of $24.00 an hour, which at their internet speed half of my post title might be submitted before timing out. To hell with that. So that's why posting has been non-existent this past week and change. Blame Carnival.
And that three-hour wait in the stairwell and corridors on level five to disembark the ship this morning? Mi mucho pisso offo is how I believe the folks in Cozumel put it.
So anyway, things get back to normal starting Monday. It's nice to almost be home.
