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The @MACSports 2013 Preseason Top 5 Rundown!!!

August 19, 2013 benchwarmer42Leave a comment

2013 MId-American Conference Top 5 Teams Rundown!

As the clock ticks passing the minutes and seconds by, moving us closer to kick-off of the 2013 College Football season, we find ourselves at the preview of one of our favorite conferences in all of College Football, The MAC! The MAC conference has been underrated for far too long and the level of football they play is on par with every other non-major and as we found out last year, they might be from top to bottom the best. This season the conference is looking at building off of the momentum of NIU’s appearance in a BCS game last year and while their performance is nothing to write home about, it was a sign of where the conference is heading. We are a little disappointed with the preseason love the MAC is getting from most of the preseason magazines and websites but don’t worry MAC fans, we are here to bring the MAC some love! In ranking this conference we see five, that’s right five teams that could be competitive to win the MAC title for 2013 and that means that this conference has depth! Not only do those six teams have a shot at the title, look for an upset against a major conference team by each of the six and while Vegas might not have it as a big upset the national media will pick it up that way. So without further delay let’s get to the Top 5 teams that our crack team have come up with…Here’s the MAC 2013 Preseason Rundown!!!

1. Ohio Bobcats 10-2

The 2012 season for the Bobcats was set up to be a special one until a series of injuries took the wind out of their perfect season sails. It was a season that had everyone looking at them to be the BCS busters after an opening day victory at Penn State and an 8-0 starting record, this year we don’t see the upset in week one as they face Louisville but from there, we see them running off 8 wins and putting them in familiar territory as we approach November and games with the two other teams who will be battling for the East title in, Bowling Green and Kent State. This year we expect a different result and see them winning at least one of those two, providing them the opportunity to play for a MAC title. Ohio brings back 11 starters from last year and while the majority of those returners are on offense, we like the way the schedule will provide enough time for the defense to come together before their toughest conference games. On offense, they are led by QB Tettleton, RB Blankenship and an offensive line featuring three seniors, while on defense the don’t have the same in-game experience, they do have talent in every section. Coach Solich and his coordinators have built a program that is ready to prove that they are the best in the MAC East after a disappointment last year.

2. Northern Illinois 9-3

Northern Illinois and their QB Jordan Lynch took advantage of a very strong MAC Conference last year, closed the season out, got lucky a couple of times and turned that into an appearance in the Orange Bowl. This was the conference’s first appearance in a BCS game and rightfully it was Northern Illinois, the Huskies had just come off two straight 11 win seasons and put together the whole package taking it down to the last play of the MAC Title game to make it to Florida. The problem with all of this, was once they made it to the Orange Bowl, they met a very hungry Florida St team, that if things would’ve fallen in FSU’s direction could’ve easily met up with Alabama in the Championship game. This years campaign, as last years, will come down to the leadership of Lynch and some playmakers on defense. Their major weakness is the left side of the offensive line but if they come together, the season will rest on back to back games with Toledo and Ball St. We are going to take the Huskies to the MAC Title, were they will lose to Ohio. Take note, we here at the Rundown, aren’t saying they are a lock. Watch out for Toledo and Ball State and read below!

3. Ball State Cardinals 9-3

Every now and then, you have to look for a team that was so close all year the year before and are finally ready to make a special run. We feel that this is the year for Ball State! Last year Ball State had a ton of question marks and most thought that a schedule would get the best of them, after a 3-3 start, which featured losses to Clemson, Northern Illinois and Kent State, it also featured wins against South Florida and Indiana. From there the Cardinals went on a six game win streak before stubbing their toe in the bowl game against UCF. This year, Ball State features an amazing 14 returning starters but are going to have to replace 4 of their offensive linemen and all of their linebackers on defense. The plus side, double digit senior starters throughout the team and with the leadership intact on offense, Ball State is set up for a schedule where their toughest out of conference game is Virginia on the road and in conference Toledo and Kent St at home with NIU on the road. If the pieces that are new this season can get comfortable by week five look for Ball State to have a chance on November 13th at Northern Illinois to play for a MAC West Championship.

4. Bowling Green Falcons 8-4

Bowling Green was hot down the stretch in 2012, they were riding a six game winning streak when they met Kent State at home with a chance to play in the MAC Championship hanging above them. As history shows us, the lost to Kent State was painful but the season for Bowling Green was still a huge move in the right direction for Dave Clawson, who is now entering his 5th year as coach for the Falcons. Bowling Green fans hope that the momentum built last season will carry over to Bowling Greens opening game of 2013, when they face Tulsa at home. This game could blow-up our other conference predictions and is a complete trap game for Tulsa. We like Bowling Green but not in that upset, we do like them beating Kent State the next week on the road to establish an early position in the MAC. THe schedule is not set up for a six game streak with games against an improved Indiana team, Mississippi State on the road, home against Toledo and Ohio before two easy finishers. If they had Ball State’s schedule we would call for them to be looking at an undefeated season but with the tough games spread out and a hard enough out of conference line-up, unlike most of the publications out there, we don’t see Bowling Green playing for the MAC title but we do see them bowling in December.

5. Toledo Rockets 7-5

The Rockets are going to be explosive of offense in the 2013 season, ok that was an easy one. In joking aside, Toledo is returning all conference playmakers led by a senior QB in Owens but will have to score and score often with a defense that is only returning two starters and have no time to adjust playing Florida and Missouri right out of the gates. Last year, Toledo won eight in a row sandwiched between an opening day loss against Arizona in OT and losing to Ball State on Nov. 6th by a touchdown. Things in Toledo are moving in the right direction on offense but a defense that was one of the worst in the MAC last year is going to hold Toledo back this year from making it to the title game in 2013. The Rockets are going to be fun to watch and the offense will keep them in most of their games but we look for a step back in the win column albeit a small step.

Big Update of Preseason Predictions!

August 4, 2013September 7, 2013 benchwarmer42Leave a comment

The website www.stassen.com recently updated their database of preseason predictions from different websites and magazines! As we here at rivalsrundown.com our releasing our previews we will compare and eventually add ours to the table! Enjoy the update and get ready for kickoff!!!

National Top 25

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
1	Alabama	269	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2
2	Oregon	247	4	3	8	5	5	2	2	2	1
3	Ohio State	243	2	2	5	2	2	6	10	4	3
4	Georgia	219	6	4	12	9	4	9	9	3	4
5	Stanford	209	3	7	2	11	3	–	3	5	5
6	South Carolina	197	9	5	3	14	11	13	14	6	7
7	Texas A&M	196	5	9	7	13	7	4	15	12	11
8	Clemson	183	7	6	9	15	8	15	20	8	8
9	Oklahoma State	177	11	16	6	8	19	3	6	15	18
10	Texas	171	18	18	14	4	13	11	8	10	12
11	Florida State	165	13	15	18	3	17	5	19	14	10
12	Louisiana State	160	8	12	16	17	18	–	4	7	6
13	Florida	157	12	13	4	18	10	–	5	13	16
14	Notre Dame	146	14	8	10	10	14	20	13	24	20
15	Louisville	144	10	10	11	7	12	–	–	9	14
16	Nebraska	120	21	21	21	16	9	8	21	11	–
17	Michigan	117	16	14	13	24	15	12	–	22	15
18	Boise State	116	17	11	15	–	6	–	12	–	9
19	Oklahoma	107	15	17	19	19	21	24	7	–	19
20	Texas Christian	98	22	20	–	21	16	18	11	20	22
21	Wisconsin	83	–	19	24	20	–	7	16	–	17
22	Southern Cal	66	25	–	–	6	–	10	17	–	–
23	Michigan State	46	20	–	–	23	–	17	18	–	–
24	Fresno State	42	–	22	–	22	22	–	–	16	–
25	Miami-Florida	38	24	–	22	25	–	21	25	–	–

Others receiving votes:

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
26	Northwestern	36	–	24	–	–	20	–	–	–	13
27t	Arizona State	33	–	23	–	–	–	16	–	–	21
27t	Baylor	33	19	–	17	–	–	–	–	–	24
29	Oregon State	29	–	25	23	–	–	25	22	–	–
30t	UCLA	27	23	–	20	–	–	–	–	–	23
30t	Virginia Tech	27	–	–	–	12	–	–	23	–	–
32	Georgia Tech	18	–	–	–	–	–	19	–	–	25
33	North Caroolina	17	–	–	–	–	–	14	–	–	–
34t	Kansas State	16	–	–	–	–	24	22	–	–	–
34t	Mississippi	16	–	–	25	–	–	–	–	21	–
36t	Cincinnati	8	–	–	–	–	–	23	–	–	–
36t	Northern Illinois	8	–	–	–	–	23	–	–	–	–
38	Penn State	7	–	–	–	–	–	–	24	–	–
39	Tulsa	6	–	–	–	–	25	–	–	–	–
40	unranked	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Notes:

Arena Fanatic did not list a team for #17-#19, #23, or #25, at time of this writing.

Conference predictions

AAC (former Big East)

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
1	Louisville	11½	1	1	1	1	1	2½	2	1	1
2	Cincinnati	23½	3	2	3	3	4½	1	1	2	4
3	Central Florida	31	4	4	5	2	2½	2½	3	5	3
4	Rutgers	32	2	3	2	5½	2½	8	4	3	2
5t	Connecticut	55½	6	6	4	7	8½	9	5	4	6
5t	Houston	55½	5	7	10	4	4½	6	6	8	5
7	Southern Methodist	59½	7	8	6	5½	7	4	9	6	7
8	South Florida	64	8	5	7	8	6	7	8	7	8
9	Temple	78½	10	10	8	10	8½	5	7	10	10
10	Memphis	84	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	9	9

Notes:

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Rutgers and Southern Methodist for 5th-6th place in the AAC.

USA Today predicted a tie between Central Florida and Rutgers for 2nd-3rd place in the AAC.

USA Today predicted a tie between Cincinnati and Houston for 4th-5th place in the AAC.

USA Today predicted a tie between Connecticut and Temple for 8th-9th place in the AAC.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Central Florida and Louisville for 2nd-3rd place in the AAC.

Atlantic Coast

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
Atlantic
1	Clemson	12	1	1	1	2	1	2	2	1	1
2	Florida State	15	2	2	2	1	2	1	1	2	2
3	N.C. State	33	4	4	3	4	3	4	4	4	3
4	Maryland	40	3	3	4	4	5	6	7	3	5
5t	Syracuse	48	6	6	5	7	5	3	3	7	6
5t	Wake Forest	48	7	5	6	4	5	7	5	5	4
7	Boston College	56	5	7	7	6	7	5	6	6	7
Coastal
1	Miami-Florida	16½	1	1	1	2	1½	3	2	2	3
2	Virginia Tech	21½	3	2	4	1	1½	4	1	3	2
3	Georgia Tech	23½	2	3	3	3½	4	2	4	1	1
4	North Carolina	28½	4	4	2	3½	3	1	3	4	4
5	Pittsburgh	49½	5	5	5	6	5½	7	5	5	6
6	Virginia	54½	6	6	6	6	5½	6	6	6	7
7	Duke	58	7	7	7	6	7	5	7	7	5

Notes:

Phil Steele predicted a three-way tie between Maryland, N.C. State, and Wake Forest, for 3rd-5th place in the ACC Atlantic division.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Georgia Tech and North Carolina for 3rd-4th place in the ACC Coastal division.

Phil Steele predicted a three-way tie between Duke, Pittsburgh, and Virginia, for 5th-7th place in the ACC Coastal division.

USA Today predicted a three-way tie between Maryland, Syracuse, and Wake Forest, for 4th-6th place in the ACC Atlantic division.

USA Today predicted a tie between Miami-Florida and Virginia Tech for 1st-2nd place in the ACC Coastal division.

USA Today predicted a tie between Pittsburgh and Virginia for 5th-6th place in the ACC Coastal division.

Big Ten

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
Leaders
1	Ohio State	10	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1
2	Wisconsin	17	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2
3	Penn State	28	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	3
4	Indiana	36	4	4	5	4	4	4	4	3	4
5	Purdue	44½	5	5	4	5	5½	5	5	5	5
6	Illinois	53½	6	6	6	6	5½	6	6	6	6
Legends
1	Nebraska	14½	3	2	2	1½	1	1	2	1	1
2	Michigan	19	1	1	1	3½	2	2½	3	2	3
3	Michigan State	24	2	4	4	1½	4	2½	1	3	2
4	Northwestern	32½	4	3	3	3½	3	4	4	4	4
5	Iowa	47	5	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5
6	Minnesota	52	6	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	6

Notes:

Lindy’s swapped Purdue/Illinois and Iowa/Minnesota in their division predictions — they had Iowa/Monnesota in Leaders and Purdue/Illinois in Legends. Since they predicted each pair of teams 5th/6th (in the wrong division), I counted that as a prediciton of 5th/6th in the proper one.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Michigan State and Nebraska for 1st-2nd place in the Big Ten Legends division.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Michigan and Northwestern for 3rd-4th place in the Big Ten Legends division.

USA Today predicted a tie between Illinois and Purdue for 5th-6th place in the Big Ten Leaders division.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Michigan and Michigan State for 2nd-3rd place in the Big Ten Legends division.

Big XII

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
1	Oklahoma State	14	1	1	1	2	3	1	1	2	2
2	Texas	17	3	3	2	1	1	2	3	1	1
3	Oklahoma	24½	2	2	3	3	3	3½	2	3	3
4	Texas Christian	37½	5	4	6	4	3	3½	4	4	4
5	Baylor	47½	4	6	4	5	6½	6	5	6	5
6	Kansas State	49	6	5	5	6	5	5	6	5	6
7	Texas Tech	69	8	7	7	7	8	8	8	7	9
8	West Virginia	73½	9	8	9	8	6½	10	7	9	7
9	Iowa State	75	7	9	8	9½	9½	7	9	8	8
10	Kansas	88	10	10	10	9½	9½	9	10	10	10

Notes:

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Iowa State and Kansas for 9th-10th place in the Big XII.

USA Today predicted a tie between Baylor and West Virginia for 6th-7th place in the Big XII.

USA Today predicted a tie between Iowa State and Kansas for 9th-10th place in the Big XII.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Oklahoma and Texas Christian for 3rd-4th place in the Big XII.

Conference USA

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
East
1	East Carolina	11½	1	2	1	2	1½	1	1	1	1
2	Marshall	20	3	1	3	1	1½	2½	2	2	4
3	Middle Tennessee	29	2	3	2	5	4	4	4	3	2
4	Southern Miss	40	5	5	4	3½	3	5½	3	6	5
5	UAB	41	4	4	5	3½	5½	7	5	4	3
6	Florida Atlantic	53½	6	6	6	6½	5½	5½	7	5	6
7	Florida Int’l	57	7	7	7	6½	7	2½	6	7	7
West
1	Tulsa	9	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2	Rice	20	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	2
3	Louisiana Tech	32½	4	3	3	4½	3½	3½	2	5	4
4	Texas-El Paso	40	3	4	4	6	6	5	5	2	5
5	North Texas	41½	5	6	5	4½	3½	3½	4	4	6
6	Tulane	48	6	5	6	3	5	7	7	6	3
7	UTSA	61	7	7	7	7	7	6	6	7	7

Notes:

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Southern Mississippi and UAB for 3rd-4th place in CUSA East.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Florida Atlantic and Florida International for 6th-7th place in CUSA East.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Louisiana Tech and North Texas for 4th-5th place in CUSA West.

USA Today predicted a tie between East Carolina and Marshall for 1st-2nd place in CUSA East.

USA Today predicted a tie between Florida Atlantic and UAB for 5th-6th place in CUSA East.

USA Today predicted a tie between Louisiana Tech and North Texas for 3rd-4th place in CUSA West.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Florida International and Marshall for 2nd-3rd place in CUSA East.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Florida Atlantic and Southern Mississippi for 5th-6th place in CUSA East.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Louisiana Tech and North Texas for 3rd-4th place in CUSA West.

Mid-American

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
East
1	Bowling Green	13	3	1	1	1	2	1	1	1	2
2	Ohio	16	1	2	3	2	1	2	2	2	1
3	Buffalo	29	2	4	4	3	3	3	3	3	4
4	Kent State	33	4	3	2	4	5	4	4	4	3
5	Miami-Ohio	45	6	5	5	5	4	5	5	5	5
6	Akron	56	7	6	7	6	6	6	6	6	6
7	Massachusetts	60	5	7	6	7	7	7	7	7	7
West
1	Northern Illinois	9	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2t	Ball State	22½	2	2	3	3	3	2½	3	2	2
2t	Toledo	22½	3	3	2	2	2	2½	2	3	3
4	Western Michigan	37	4	4	5	4	4	4	4	4	4
5	Central Michigan	44	5	5	4	5	5	5	5	5	5
6	Eastern Michigan	54	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6

Notes:

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Ball State and Toledo for 2nd-3rd place in the MAC West.

Mountain West

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
West
1	Fresno State	10	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1
2	San Diego State	22	3	3	2	2	2	3	3	2	2
3	San Jose State	23½	2	2	3	3	4½	1	2	3	3
4	Nevada	36	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	5	4
5	Nevada-Las Vegas	48	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	4	5
6	Hawaii	49½	6	6	6	5	4½	5	5	6	6
Mountain
1	Boise State	10	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1	1
2	Utah State	17	2	2	2	2	2	1	2	2	2
3	Air Force	28½	3	3	3	3½	3	3	3	4	3
4	Wyoming	39½	4	4	4	5	5½	5	4	3	5
5	Colorado State	44	5	5	5	3½	5½	4	5	5	6
6	New Mexico	50	6	6	6	6	4	6	6	6	4

Notes:

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Air Force and Colorado State for 3rd-4th place in the MWC Mountain division.

USA Today predicted a tie between Hawai’i and San Jose State for 4th-5th place in the MWC West division.

USA Today predicted a tie between Colorado State and Wyoming for 5th-6th place in the MWC Mountain division.

Pacific 12

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
North
1	Oregon	11½	2	1	2	1	1½	1	1	1	1
2	Stanford	16½	1	2	1	2	1½	3	2	2	2
3	Oregon State	28½	4	3	3	3	3½	2	3	4	3
4	Washington	33½	3	4	4	4	3½	4	4	3	4
5	California	48	5	5	5	6	6	5	5	5	6
6	Washington State	51	6	6	6	5	5	6	6	6	5
South
1	Southern Cal	17½	2	2	4	1	2½	1	1	1	3
2	Arizona State	19½	3	1	2	2	2½	2	3	3	1
3	UCLA	21	1	3	1	3	1	3	5	2	2
4	Arizona	33½	4	4	3	4	4½	4	2	4	4
5	Utah	43½	5	5	5	5	4½	5	4	5	5
6	Colorado	54	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6

Notes:

USA Today predicted a tie between Oregon and Stanford for 1st-2nd place in the PAC 12 North.

USA Today predicted a tie between Oregon State and Washington for 3rd-4th place in the PAC 12 North.

USA Today predicted a tie between Arizona State and Southern Cal for 2nd-3rd place in the PAC 12 South.

USA Today predicted a tie between Arizona and Utah for 4th-5th place in the PAC 12 South.

Southeastern

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
East
1	Georgia	12	1	1	3	1	1	1	1	1	2
2	South Carolina	18	2	2	1	2½	2½	2	3	2	1
3	Florida	24	3	3	2	2½	2½	3	2	3	3
4	Vanderbilt	39½	4	4	4	5½	4	4	6	4	4
5	Tennessee	47½	5	5	5	4	5½	6	5	6	6
6	Missouri	48	6	6	6	5½	5½	5	4	5	5
7	Kentucky	63	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
West
1	Alabama	9	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2	Texas A&M	20½	2	2	2	2½	2	2	3	3	2
3	Louisiana State	24½	3	3	3	2½	3	3	2	2	3
4	Mississippi	36½	4	4	4	4	4½	4	4	4	4
5	Mississippi State	50	5	5	7	6½	4½	5	6	6	5
6	Arkansas	55½	6	7	5	5	6½	7	5	7	7
7	Auburn	56	7	6	6	6½	6½	6	7	5	6

Notes:

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Florida and South Carolina for 2nd-3rd place in the SEC East.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Missouri and Vanderbilt for 5th-6th place in the SEC East.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Louisiana State and Texas A&M for 2nd-3rd place in the SEC West.

Phil Steele predicted a tie between Auburn and Mississippi State for 6th-7th place in the SEC West.

USA Today predicted a tie between Florida and South Carolina for 2nd-3rd place in the SEC East.

USA Today predicted a tie between Missouri and Tenneessee for 5th-6th place in the SEC East.

USA Today predicted a tie between Mississippi and Mississippi State for 4th-5th place in the SEC West.

USA Today predicted a tie between Arkansas and Auburn for 6th-7th place in the SEC West.

Sun Belt

Rank	Team	Total Points	Lindy	Athlon	TSN	Phil Steele	USA Today (mag.)	McIllece Sports	F’Ball Out- siders	Arena Fanatic	Gold Sheet
1	Louisiana-Lafay.	17½	3	1	2	1	1	1½	3	2	3
2	Louisiana-Monroe	21½	1	2	3	3	4½	3	2	1	2
3	Arkansas State	25	2	4	4	3	4½	1½	1	4	1
4	Western Kentucky	28½	4	3	1	3	2½	4	4	3	4
5	Troy	42½	5	5	5	5	2½	5	5	5	5
6	Texas State	54½	6	6	6	6	6	6½	6	6	6
7	South Alabama	63½	7	7	7	7	7	6½	7	8	7
8	Georgia State	71	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	7	8

Notes:

Phil Steele predicted a three-way tie between Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, and Western Kentucky, for 2nd-4th place in the Sun Belt.

USA Today predicted a tie between Troy and Western Kentucky for 2nd-3rd place in the Sun Belt.

USA Today predicted a tie between Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe for 4th-5th place in the Sun Belt.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette for 1st-2nd place in the Sun Belt.

McIllece Sports predicted a tie between South Alabama and Texas State for 6th-7th place in the Sun Belt.

2013 Vegas College Football Games of the Year

July 29, 2013 benchwarmer42Leave a comment

2013 COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES OF THE YEAR

OK, so these were released earlier and some of the lines might have changed since but I wanted to post these and then put some of my own comments on what we have here. I am going to do this blind, meaning, I’m not sitting reveiwing all of the schedules and match-up, but rather, I am just going to put some thoughts on paper. Here are my gut reactions to these bets!

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2013

WAKE FOREST vs. BOSTON COLLEGE -1
Take Wake.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2013

SOUTH CAROLINA vs. GEORGIA -5
I really like both of these teams and think that this is going to set the stage early for the SEC, we like Georgia by a touchdown, so give the points.

FLORIDA -6 vs. MIAMI FL
We like Florida this year but Miami could be fun in this one, let’s get some points and take Miami

WEST VIRGINIA vs. OKLAHOMA -16.5

TEXAS -6.5 vs. BYU
Texas, Texas, Texas

NOTRE DAME vs. MICHIGAN -3
Michigan big time

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

TCU -6 vs. TEXAS TECH
Can the Thursday home dog hold up this early? Not on this one, TCU
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2013

AIR FORCE vs.BOISE ST -19.5

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013

UCLA vs. NEBRASKA -7
Revenge, Nebraska

ALABAMA -6.5 vs. TEXAS A&M
Revenge, Alabama by 2 touchdowns

IOWA vs. IOWA ST -1

OREGON ST -3 vs. UTAH

WISCONSIN vs. ARIZONA ST -5
Taking the Devils at home when it’s still triple digits.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

CLEMSON -9.5 vs. NC STATE
Clemson.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

BOISE ST vs. FRESNO ST -2
How many times have we said, “Is this the year Fresno St. knocks off Boise?” Friday Night Lights, take Fresno St.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2013

UTAH vs. BYU -5

ARIZONA ST vs. STANFORD -8.5
Don’t like the Devils in this one, Stanford

MICHIGAN ST vs. NOTRE DAME -5.5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

VIRGINIA TECH -1 vs. GEORGIA TECH
If the Hokies are back, we’ll know by now, Virginia Tech in this one

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

UTAH ST vs. SAN JOSE ST -1

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2013

LSU vs. GEORGIA -5.5

TEXAS A&M -14 vs. ARKANSAS

USC vs. ARIZONA ST -2.5

OKLAHOMA vs. NOTRE DAME -1
Okllahoma takes one back

WISCONSIN vs. OHIO ST -10.5
Ohio St for the win but Wisconsin taking the points is the bet

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2013

TEXAS -13.5 vs. IOWA ST

UCLA -1.5 vs. UTAH
UCLA should be a bigger favorite so something is interesting here…

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

BYU -2 vs. UTAH ST

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2013

TCU vs. OKLAHOMA -7
Let’s get Horny together, Frogs and points

NOTRE DAME -2 vs. ARIZONA ST @ ARLINGTON, TX

OHIO ST -7.5 vs. NORTHWESTERN

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013

RUTGERS vs. LOUISVILLE -12
We have a feeling that Louisville is ready to dominate this year, let’s take Louisville big here!

ARIZONA vs. USC -10
We kinda like the cats with points but not 100%

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013

TEMPLE vs. CINCINNATI -17

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2013

What a great week, we like Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, Stanford, and Michigan, no moneylines here all line bets!

TEXAS -2 vs. OKLAHOMA @ DALLAS, TX

FLORIDA vs. LSU -3

TEXAS A&M -5.5 vs. OLE MISS

STANFORD -9.5 vs. UTAH

OREGON -12.5 vs. WASHINGTON

MICHIGAN -3 vs. PENN ST

BOISE ST -3 vs. UTAH ST

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013

MIAMI FL vs. NORTH CAROLINA -3

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2013

CENTRAL FLORIDA vs. LOUISVILLE -11.5

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013

FLORIDA ST vs. CLEMSON -1.5
What should be one of the top 10 games of the year, it’s the Tigers Year!

FLORIDA -8 vs. MISSOURI

TCU vs. OKLAHOMA ST -7

LSU -4 vs. OLE MISS

UCLA vs. STANFORD -11.5

USC vs. NOTRE DAME -3
Trojans!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013

KENTUCKY vs. MISSISSIPPI ST -11.5

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013

BOISE ST vs. BYU -2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2013

SOUTH CAROLINA -7.5 vs. MISSOURI

TENNESSEE vs. ALABAMA -28
Maybe this is for suckers but take Tennessee

TEXAS -2.5 vs. TCU

UNLV vs. NEVADA -14

UCLA vs. OREGON -18.5

STANFORD -3.5 vs. OREGON ST

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2013

ARIZONA ST -12.5 vs. WASHINGTON ST

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2013

USC vs. OREGON ST -1.5

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2013

One of the first Rivals weekends!
We like Florida St, NC State, Michigan, and Georgia!

MIAMI FL vs. FLORIDA ST -11.5

NORTH CAROLINA -4.5 vs. NC STATE

MICHIGAN vs. MICHIGAN ST -2

FLORIDA vs. GEORGIA -2.5 @ JACKSONVILLE, FL

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013
Baylor looking upset and Oregon covers

OKLAHOMA -6 vs. BAYLOR

OREGON -4 vs. STANFORD

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013
Cardinals Cover!

LOUISVILLE -10 vs. U CONN

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2013

NEBRASKA vs. MICHIGAN -3.5
Nebraska as the prepare for the B1G Championship Game!

BYU vs. WISCONSIN -5.5

LSU vs. ALABAMA -12
LSU take the points and enjoy

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013

GEORGIA TECH vs. CLEMSON -13

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2013

WASHINGTON vs. UCLA -4

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2013
Gamecocks, Frogs, Wolverines, and Cardinals moveing on…

FLORIDA vs. SOUTH CAROLINA -3.5

TCU -2.5 vs. KANSAS ST

MICHIGAN ST vs. NEBRASKA -5.5

MICHIGAN -3 vs. NORTHWESTERN

OKLAHOMA ST vs. TEXAS -4.5

STANFORD -1 vs. USC

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2013

UNLV vs. AIR FORCE -9

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2013

NAVY vs. SAN JOSE ST -7.5

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2013
Nebraska to cover, K State gets the points, LSU covers, Arizona with the points

NEBRASKA -3 vs. PENN ST

VANDERBILT vs. TENNESSEE -1

OKLAHOMA -6.5 vs. KANSAS ST

MICHIGAN ST -1 vs. NORTHWESTERN

TEXAS A&M vs. LSU -2.5

OREGON -13.5 vs. ARIZONA

WASHINGTON vs. OREGON ST -5

ARIZONA ST vs. UCLA -1

BYU vs. NOTRE DAME -8

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2013

OLE MISS -4 vs. MISSISSIPPI ST

TEXAS TECH vs. TEXAS -16.5

FRIDAY, NOVEBER 29, 2013

WASHINGTON ST vs. WASHINGTON -14

OREGON ST vs. OREGON -16.5

RIVALS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2013 !!! We like the looks of this weekend and can’t wait for it! We got action on Georgia Tech getting the points but Bulldogs win by a touchdown. Let’s go with Hokies, Ohio St, Florida, Clemson, Sun Devils, Trojans.

GEORGIA -10 vs. GEORGIA TECH

VIRGINIA TECH -8.5 vs. VIRGINIA

OHIO ST -3 vs. MICHIGAN

FLORIDA ST vs. FLORIDA -3

CLEMSON vs. SOUTH CAROLINA -4.5

KANSAS ST -14.5 vs. KANSAS

TEXAS A&M -8.5 vs. MISSOURI

ALABAMA -21.5 vs. AUBURN

BAYLOR vs. TCU -8

ARIZONA vs. ARIZONA ST -7

UCLA vs. USC -7

NOTRE DAME vs. STANFORD -7

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013

LOUISVILLE -3.5 vs. CINCINNATI

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2013

OKLAHOMA vs. OKLAHOMA ST -3

TEXAS -6.5 vs. BAYLOR

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2013

NAVY -7.5 vs. ARMY @ PHILADELPHIA, PA
NAVY BIG TIME!!!!

Hope you had some fun with this, make your picks and let’s see how everyone does! It’s too early to hold us or you to any of these picks but it’s fun to just run through it and see what jumps out at you!

2013 Top 5* @TheACCFootball Conference Predictions!

July 22, 2013July 22, 2013 benchwarmer42Leave a comment

Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Top 5* Rundown

The ACC this year is a tale of two stories, the Atlantic Division where we find a battle between two (outside) National Championship contenders and the Coastal Division where we find a battle between two storied programs trying to return to a National Championship mold. The ACC welcomes two additional programs in Pittsburgh and Syracuse in it’s expansion to a 14 team field. The season kicks-off like a Fast and the Furious opening scene, with Clemson playing host to the Georgia Bulldogs, in a game that will have BCS implications. Meanwhile down in Atlanta, Alabama’s Pro-Football Team known as the Crimson Tide roll into town to face-off with Frank Beamer’s Hokies who will be looking to see if they can keep up with the best for four full quarters of football. Is it August 31st yet? Here’s the ACC Rivals Rundown:

1. Clemson University Tigers 11-1 (Atlantic Division Champions)

We have a hard time here at the RR believing in the Clemson Tigers, but with 13 returning starters between defense and offense led by one of our Heisman Trophy contenders in QB Tajh Boyd, this year we are going all in on the Tigers. Standing in the way of Clemson is a schedule that starts right out of the gate with Georgia coming into Memorial Staduim, a game that will determine if we are talking about a National Title run or just an ACC Title run. We like the Tigers in that game and see them coasting until they match-up with Florida State on Oct. 19th, in the game that will determine the Atlantic division. After that If they can survive a trap game against Georgia Tech at home, Clemson could find themselves playing South Carolina in the final game of the season with the national media talking BCS, BCS, BCS.

2. Florida State Seminoles 10-2

The question surrounding FSU this year is: Reload or Rebuild? After a season that could’ve seen the Seminoles playing for a National Championship, Jimbo Fisher is looking to replace his playmakers on both sides of the football. The schedule sets up nicely for a young team looking to develop before they match-up against the heavyweights of Clemson, Miami, and Florida. FSU should be 6-0 before going into the game with Clemson but Clemson has too much experience and gets the Seminoles at home, which is the difference maker. The answer is, they will be reloading this year and if leaders can emerge on offense watch out for the Seminoles to be in the national picture.

3. Virginia Tech Hokies 10-2 (Coastal Division Champions)

Last season the Hokies found themselves struggling to become bowl eligible but after winning their final two regular season and beating Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl, the Hokies finished the 2012 campaign on a high note. Since then, they have revamped the offensive coaching staff and are poised to return to the double digit win total that they have become accustom to in Blacksburg. The Hokies find themselves with the most difficult opening game in all of college football, a neutral site game against the defending Champs, Alabama. If they survive that test and take away the positives, Virginia Tech could go on an eight game winning streak setting the scene for a coastal division match-up against the Hurricanes, even if they lose that head to head, we still like Virginia Tech to meet Clemson for the ACC Championship and the chance for a BCS return. In true Beamer fashion, it will rely on defense and special team, while hoping the offense isn’t too far behind.

4. The University of Miami Hurricanes 9-3

It’s been too long since the “U” dominated college football with it’s on and off the field actions, as we look at our 2013 predictions it’s tempting to say that they have arrived and this is the year…however, it’s not. On the bright side, the program is about to turn the corner and starting being in the conversation once again. The ‘Canes return a what will be one of the most exciting offenses in college football but still have a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the ball. The defense gave up a school record in points last year and have only 4 starters returning (which could be a good thing). They have a tough schedule with Florida and Florida St, but could be playing for a Coastal Division Championship when they meet Virginia Tech. We like Miami to be playing for a National Title in 2015 and a BCS shot in 2014 but this year they will be finishing behind the Hokies.

5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 8-4

Last year Georgia Tech had a bad schedule, why? They faced what turned out to be a bad Virginia Tech before they knew they were bad and lost in OT. Then they lost, again in OT, a couple of weeks later to an slightly above average Miami team. Those two losses deflated their sails and they couldn’t recover until they found themselves at 3-4 and yet somehow Georgia Tech still found themselves beating USC on New Year’s Eve in the Sun Bowl. This year they bring back 16 starters, 11 which are seniors, they start with Elon and Duke then could easily find themselves at 2-3 before they finish the season at 8-4. With the experience The Yellow Jackets are bringing back, they get our “Outsiders” chance to surprise everyone and win the division if they can get through a three game stretch of North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Miami.

6. University of North Carolina Tar Heels & N.C. State Wolfpack

Ok, here’s the deal and we’re not going into a long thing here, honestly, we don’t like either of these teams, N.C. State with it’s new coach and a North Carolina team that hasn’t been able to live up to it’s recruiting. So here they sit, the problem is North Carolina was 9 points away (total) from going 10-1 in a year that they were not bowl eligible and N.C. State has a schedule that has 9 wins if they are on the same page by August 31st. So, with both of them being dangerous, both having some nice upside, here they both sit tied for the final place in our Rivals Rundown of the ACC.

Ranger Pool: The Official College Football Fantasy Game

July 11, 2013 benchwarmer42Leave a comment

So, a little back story before you ready the blog further, I am a second generation participant, this game was started by my father and his college buddies as a way to put some friendly bets on the college football season. It’s a blast, mainly because once the season starts, your rosters are set. It’s not something you have to check on weekly, it’s there and you start following and rooting for teams all over the country. When I explain it to non-hardocre college fans, they usually laugh at the fact that the University of Ohio or Boise St. (before they played on the national stage) or any other mid-major was selected before Florida or USC, they don’t get it. Those of us who live and die preseason reading, Phil Steele or Athlon Sports or The Sporting News or Lindy’s, we get it. This football season, if you or your friends start a pool please let me know! As our draft approaches I’ll be posting who I think will go in what round and will also post the draft results for the public to comment on.

The story goes, a long, long, time ago, in a gentleman’s club somewhere in what once was called East Phoenix, AZ, now it’s just Central Phoenix or Arcadia, a group of college aged friends created a college football pool for them to bet against each other. The pool has continued for well over 30+ years across multiple states and including a number of participates in this underground fantasy game.

Well, now for the first time ever, the Official Rules of The Ranger Pool will be released and written for public viewing.

Over the years and with the expansion of Division I Football the rules have evolved but the format has stayed the same.

Ranger Pool: The Official College Football Fantasy Game.

There will be a number of 10 participates within the pool, no more no less.
Each participate will draft 8 teams.
The draft will take place before the first kick-off of the College Football Season
Each participate will pick 1 team per draft round, therefore the are 8 rounds in the draft.
A team can only be drafted once.
There will be an official rules committee in place to enforce these rules, the official committee can be either voted on or establish by a majority of players.
The Rules Committee will decide what the pool of draftable teams are. For example, most leagues will only pick teams from Dvision I or FBS Division of Teams or whatever the major division of college football will be called in the future. However, some leagues based on geographical area might want to include conferences from sub-divisions to increase the available pool of teams.
The draft is a snake formula, however it is mathematically perfect, for example if you draft 1 overall in round 1, then round 2 you would draft 10th, round 3 you would draft 2. and so on and so forth. The official drafting order for each participate can be emailed or sent by the official rules committee. Note, this is different from Snake Drafts that you always pick the same picks in alternating rounds.
Once the draft is completed and all participates have 8 college football teams on their roster, the league is set and ready for the season to begin.
WInners and Losers: The beautiful part of this Fantasy game is it’s simplicity.
Victory is achieved by having the overall highest combined winning percentage of a participants teams! For example:
1. Participant 1 Teams-

Alabama 11-0

Texas 9-2

Arizona St. 8-4

Louisville 5-7

Georgia Tech 6-5

UNLV 7-4

Northwestern 3-8

Toledo 9-2

Win Total- 58 Loss Total- 32

Percentage- 64.44%

Order of Finish will be determined using the above formula for each participant.
The regular season of college football games count only, no conference championship games, no bowl games. An alternative version can be played by using championship or bowl games as a tie-breaker.
Payout: If used for better purposes, buy-in is collected prior to draft and payout is to the top three finishers after the season has been completed. It is recommend that payout occurs at an end of year banquet with all participants in Las Vegas during bowl season.