2012 Fantasy Draft I: Out with the Old, In with the Runningback

If you are one of the six people on Earth that follow my many obsessions, you have probably discerned the following from my twitter account:

1. Supernatural's 8th season is upcoming, and I won't be watching.

2. I'm spending some quality time patrolling the 1940's streets of LA as Cole Phelps.

3. Twelve days til JMU/WVU football kicks off!

4. And almost as important as the above, fantasy football is gearing up again. And this year, the C4G blog will be spending some notable time dissecting, recommending, and altogether reliving the my inevitable conquests of the 2012 fantasy football season.


But before we can talk about how I won all my leagues, we'll have to go over the drafts. My first draft? A ten team standard ESPN league, complete with lots of JMU seniors and grads. And probably some random people I don't know too. Don't talk to strangers kids, leave that to me.


Nota Bene: In keeping with my tradition of naming Fantasy Teams after classic novels that may sound vaguely intimidating, this year I decided to go with William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. So picks under that name are mine. And yes, I got saddled with the annoyingly random first pick this year. Don't remind me how unhappy I am about it.


Round: 1
(1) The Sound And The Fury - Arian Foster RB
(2) Team Pronk - Ray Rice RB
(3) The Honey Badger - LeSean McCoy RB
(4) The Whistling Biscuits - Aaron Rodgers QB
(5) Jabba The Hutt - Tom Brady QB
(6) Da Bomb Squad - Matthew Stafford QB
(7) Rusty Trombones - Drew Brees QB
(8) The Magic Conch - Maurice Jones-Drew RB
(9) The Dark Knight Squeals - Calvin Johnson WR
(10) Team Garrison - Chris Johnson RB


My Pick: I'm not a sucker for "overall first pick" hype machines, nor am I a big fan of superstar runningbacks. But Arian Foster puts up numbers, there's no denying it. I always like to go with Rodgers in the first round because he consistently outscores more or less everyone, but I had some solid sleeper picks at Quarterback later-- so I bit the bullet and took Foster.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Grabbing MJD at 8 is a nice steal. Usually he goes before 6, so a nice pick up by Magic Conch.

Pick I wouldn't be caught dead with at Prom: Stafford. He throws the lights out of the ball, but even then he's probably a high second round pick. DBS picks again at 15, and it's reasonable to assume he'd still be there. Certainly not a "bad" pick, but not one I would do.

Best of the Rest: It's the first round, so there's never much to sneeze at.


Round: 2
(11) Team Garrison - Larry Fitzgerald WR
(12) The Dark Knight Squeals - Andre Johnson WR
(13) The Magic Conch - Rob Gronkowski TE
(14) Rusty Trombones - Matt Forte RB
(15) Da Bomb Squad - Jamaal Charles RB
(16) Jabba The Hutt - Darren McFadden RB
(17) The Whistling Biscuits - Steven Jackson RB
(18) The Honey Badger - Cam Newton QB
(19) Team Pronk - DeMarco Murray RB
(20) The Sound And The Fury - Jimmy Graham TE
My Pick: As I sat in my living room, knowing I wouldn't pick for 18 slots between 1 and 20, the only think I chanted was "DEAR LORD, PLEASE LET THEM ALL PASS ON JIMMY GRAHAM. Jimmy Graham.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Jamaal Charles is coming off ACL surgery, sure, but I think he's gonna have a monster year. I like Charles put up some major numbers this year on and old school ground and pound KC team. Before his injury, Charles averaged 5.8 ypc two consecutive years running. DBS doesn't pick again until 26, and JC is likely off the board. Nice grab.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: There's actually a few teams that went with players here I wouldn't personally agree with, but I think DeMarco Murray might be the worst. I definitely wouldn't take Larry that high as good as he is, and Cam Newton worries me because of his second half 2011 numbers as well as the many runningbacks taking up residence in Carolina. But Murray is injury prone and has done literally nothing to assure me he's worthy of a second round pick.

Best of the Rest: I am a Steven Jackson fan. Particularly with a new head coach that likes to run the ball. 17 might seem high to some people, but I'm fine with that.

Round: 3
** (21) The Sound And The Fury - Adrian Peterson RB
(22) Team Pronk - Julio Jones WR
(23) The Honey Badger - Roddy White WR
(24) The Whistling Biscuits - Mike Wallace WR
(25) Jabba The Hutt - Fred Davis TE
(26) Da Bomb Squad - Wes Welker WR
(27) Rusty Trombones - Marshawn Lynch RB
(28) The Magic Conch - Greg Jennings WR
(29) The Dark Knight Squeals - Hakeem Nicks WR
(30) Team Garrison - Michael Vick QB
My Pick: Alright, so I need a wide receiver? So I need a quarterback? I'll figure all that out later. Receiver is deep as shit anyway. Let's be real- the prospect of a team with Peterson and Foster is pretty deadly.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Roddy White at 23 is a nice grab. Not flashy, nothing special, but it's a nice case of right place right time.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Taking Fred Davis in the third round is like screaming from the top of the Kennedy Center "IM A REDSKINS FAN, SO THIS MAY GO WITHOUT SAYING, BUT I HAVE NO PROBLEM ADMITTING THAT I MAKE BAD DECISIONS."

Best of the Rest: I don't hate the Greg Jennings pick. Conch with a solid outing early. He's putting this league on his back.

Round: 4
(31) Team Garrison - A.J. Green WR
(32) The Dark Knight Squeals - Eli Manning QB
(33) The Magic Conch - Victor Cruz WR
(34) Rusty Trombones - Steve Smith WR
(35) Da Bomb Squad - Brandon Marshall WR
(36) Jabba The Hutt - Marques Colston WR
(37) The Whistling Biscuits - Brandon Lloyd WR
(38) The Honey Badger - Jordy Nelson WR
(39) Team Pronk - Fred Jackson RB
** (40) The Sound And The Fury - Ryan Mathews RB
My Pick: Not exactly in the market for a runningback after I already have Peterson and Foster. But even with a messed up clavacollar bone or whatever is wrong with Matthews this particular week (it'll be different by the time I'm done writing this piece), Matthews is still a steal at 40-- bench or no bench. Do I smell a future trade in the works?

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Not really a reach or anything, but I just really love the Brandon Marshall upside this year. Hats off to DBS for another nice pick. The metrics say Marshall is in for his biggest year since the Mile High throwdowns.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Maybe it's just because there are better guys on the board, but off the top of my head, Fred Jackson at 39 seems high. You've gotta play the Miami and Jets defense both twice, and it's hard to see him duplicating his best weeks of last year... I would just go a different direction. Still, not a bad pick by any stretch. An all around good round by all.

Best of the Rest: Steve Smith and Marquest Colston are both nice grabs.

Round: 5
(41) The Sound And The Fury - BenJarvus Green-Ellis RB
(42) Team Pronk - Tony Romo QB
(43) The Honey Badger - Ahmad Bradshaw RB
(44) The Whistling Biscuits - Frank Gore RB
(45) Jabba The Hutt - Reggie Bush RB
(46) Da Bomb Squad - Trent Richardson RB
(47) Rusty Trombones - Percy Harvin WR
(48) The Magic Conch - Michael Turner RB
(49) The Dark Knight Squeals - Darren Sproles RB
(50) Team Garrison - Willis McGahee RB
My Pick: Seriously? Another runningback?  Yes, I know, even my own mother at this point is starting to wonder why I'm drafting so many guys whose position is "RB." But hear me out?  I do need to start a flex after all. And besides, I might not be higher on any player all season than B J-E, who is starting his very own shiny new law firm down in Cincinattus-land. If anyone needs an attorney, I'm guessing it's the good fans of the Bengals, who have to constantly deal with the assault and battery thrown on them by their kinfolk in Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Since I suppose I can't pick my own (trust me, I'm in love with it), I'm going with Darren Sproles at 49. He's a threat in the running and passing games, he's very difficult to guard, he's targeted alllll the time, and he probably should have been a high fifth round draft anyway.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: I couldn't be more indifferent about Frank Gore this year. Even in the middle of the fifth, I'm still wondering how Harbaugh is gonna get him his wheaties with LaMichael James, Brandon Jacobs, Kendall Hunter, and one or two other backs on the roster to deal with.

Best of the Rest: Again, another fairly solid round. Turner and McGahee were both nice pickups, but not SO much moreso than the others.

Round: 6
(51) Team Garrison - Vernon Davis TE
(52) The Dark Knight Squeals - Roy Helu RB
(53) The Magic Conch - Dez Bryant WR
(54) Rusty Trombones - Stevan Ridley RB
(55) Da Bomb Squad - Antonio Brown WR
(56) Jabba The Hutt - Pierre Garcon WR
(57) The Whistling Biscuits - Demaryius Thomas WR
(58) The Honey Badger - Jacob Tamme TE
(59) Team Pronk - Vincent Jackson WR
(60) The Sound And The Fury - Steve Johnson WR
 My Pick: Finally! A Receiver! OMG! Call the Mayans, cancel the apocolypse!

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Antonio Brown. DBS once again takes the best pick of the round here, as I had eyeing Brown since that BJE pick. This is the first time in the draft I didn't get someone I really wanted.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Jacob Tamme. Honey Badger knows what he wants, and evidently he wants some Jacob Tamme. In all honesty, I really like Tamme too... but I would never take him in the sixth round. I was hoping I could grab him a little early, maybe in the ninth or tenth rounds, still well before his ADS is in standard leagues (hovering between 126 and 132).

Best of the Rest: V-Jax as 59 ain't too shabby. Nice pickup by the Biscuits too, Thomas is bound for glory this year.

Round: 7
(61) The Sound And The Fury - Eric Decker WR
(62) Team Pronk - Robert Griffin III QB
(63) The Honey Badger - Matt Ryan QB
(64) The Whistling Biscuits - Shonn Greene RB
(65) Jabba The Hutt - Miles Austin WR
(66) Da Bomb Squad - Dwayne Bowe WR
(67) Rusty Trombones - Peyton Manning QB
(68) The Magic Conch - Philip Rivers QB
(69) The Dark Knight Squeals - Antonio Gates TE
(70) Team Garrison - Joe Flacco QB
 My Pick: Tamme? Thomas? Clearly at this point, I just wanted to get in on that someone-that-Peyton Manning-was-going-to-throw-to action.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With:  Antonio Gates, 69. Good value at the end of the 7th, but forget that aspect of it. With Vincent Jackson no longer in San Diego, Tolbert living that fresh east coast lifestyle for the foreseeable future, and Ryan Matthews perenially injured, trigger-man Phil Rivs is gonna need a target he can trust, right? Gates has always been that guy, so let's not worry about developing new relationships. Remember kids, don't talk to strangers. That's called a motif.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Joe Flacco at 70 seems really high to me. Other guys are much safer picks at qb right now. Ryan Fitzpatrick will have better numbers and- as you'll find out- wasn't even drafted.

Best of the Rest: Can we get some love up in here for Peyton Manning and RG3? I am a believer. I'm buying into the Washington hype. I may regret this decision at a future date.

Round: 8
(71) Team Garrison - Ravens D/ST D/ST
(72) The Dark Knight Squeals - Jonathan Stewart RB
(73) The Magic Conch - Jeremy Maclin WR
(74) Rusty Trombones - Jermichael Finley TE
(75) Da Bomb Squad - Aaron Hernandez TE
(76) Jabba The Hutt - Redskins D/ST D/ST
(77) The Whistling Biscuits - DeSean Jackson WR
(78) The Honey Badger - 49ers D/ST D/ST
(79) Team Pronk - Robert Meachem WR
(80) The Sound And The Fury - Bears D/ST D/ST

My Pick: Look, I am a huge advocate of not drafting defenses before the 15th round. The numbers don't like, it's a statistically insignificant change between a top five defense and a middle of the road defense. But because ALL the rest of my picks can be gotten after the eighth round (in some cases, well after), I wanted the 49'ers defense here. With that off the board just before I picked, I went with that fresh Chi-Town squeeze.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: 49'ers Defense. Don't wanna rehash, but they're gonna put up some serious wattage this year, methinks.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Redskins defense in the eighth round means some one should stab themselves in the brain with an icepick.

Best of the Rest: Lots of solid wide receiver picks in this round. I liked them all.

Round: 9
(81) The Sound And The Fury - Ben Roethlisberger QB
(82) Team Pronk - Brandon Pettigrew TE
(83) The Honey Badger - DeAngelo Williams RB
(84) The Whistling Biscuits - Doug Martin RB
(85) Jabba The Hutt - David Akers K
(86) Da Bomb Squad - Isaac Redman RB
(87) Rusty Trombones - Beanie Wells RB
(88) The Magic Conch - Ben Tate RB
(89) The Dark Knight Squeals - Jason Witten TE
(90) Team Garrison - Reggie Wayne WR
 My Pick: Once you're outside of the top 7 or 8 quarterbacks, you're dealing with the likes of Matt Ryan and his other 32853 statistical equivalents. I froth at the mouth knowing I have the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback on my fantasy team, but I had to do something here.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: I'm really high on Doug Martin this season, purely based on how Greg Schiano has talked about him to the media. You'd think Martin was Schiano's preschool kid who won the spelling bee, the way that guy talks about him.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: David Akers... nothing else needs to be said. #kickerintheninthround

Best of the Rest: Williams and Wayne in the 9th round are both pretty good value. Not a big fan of Charlotte timeshares, but even they can be a good value occassionally.

Round: 10
(91) Team Garrison - Anquan Boldin WR
(92) The Dark Knight Squeals - Jahvid Best RB
(93) The Magic Conch - Michael Bush RB
(94) Rusty Trombones - Nate Washington WR
(95) Da Bomb Squad - Matt Schaub QB
(96) Jabba The Hutt - Mark Ingram RB
(97) The Whistling Biscuits - Jay Cutler QB
(98) The Honey Badger - Peyton Hillis RB
(99) Team Pronk - Torrey Smith WR
(100) The Sound And The Fury - Carson Palmer QB
My Pick: Why take back to back quarterbacks in the 9th and 10th rounds, you ask? Because I have a mancrush on Carsan Palmer, and didn't want him stolen like quite a few other picks that had gotten away in the last few rounds. Palmer might not be a sexy name in the fantasy world, but some of the metrics really indicate that "Oakland QB" might actually put up some amazing numbers.

Well, you know, amazing for the double-digit rounds.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: I really like Michael Bush. Matt Forte is a huge producer in the backfield in Chicago, but most of his points come from yardage and big plays- NOT red zone touchdowns. So Bush has good low end flex value here.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Jahvid Best is about as sturdy as a glass house, hasn't had a nice line since week 2 of my sophmore year of college, hasn't played in any game at all since week 6 of 2011 when a 49'ers player literally knocked his career into the next year, and was just placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Best of the Rest: Peyton Hillis will have a nice bounceback year, putting up stats similar to what Thomas Jones did in KC two years ago.

Round: 11
(101) The Sound And The Fury - Denarius Moore WR
(102) Team Pronk - Donald Brown RB
(103) The Honey Badger - Greg Olsen TE
(104) The Whistling Biscuits - Jermaine Gresham TE
(105) Jabba The Hutt - Sam Bradford QB
(106) Da Bomb Squad - C.J. Spiller RB
(107) Rusty Trombones - Felix Jones RB
(108) The Magic Conch - Malcom Floyd WR
(109) The Dark Knight Squeals - Santonio Holmes WR
(110) Team Garrison - Pierre Thomas RB
My Pick: Nothing more than loading up on depth at receiver at this point. Moore is a solid receiver with major potential.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Donald Brown. I actually have Brown on my short list of players I want, and was ready to draft him in this round. But because I already have so many other talented runningbacks, I opted for a receiver instead.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Jermaine Gresham. I just don't have any faith in the guy at all. Not a big fan of Pierre Thomas either, the saints are likely to play a lot of catchup without a functional head coach in place, and he's already splitting time with Ingram. Felix Jones  is like crack- very enticing, but lots of nasty side effects and just altogether not good for you(r team).

Best of the Rest: Spiller has a nice upside, and Olsen could always put up nice numbers. Probably won't happen, but we're all just taking fliers by now anyway.

Round: 12
(111) Team Garrison - Eagles D/ST D/ST
(112) The Dark Knight Squeals - Lance Moore WR
(113) The Magic Conch - Toby Gerhart RB
(114) Rusty Trombones - Texans D/ST D/ST
(115) Da Bomb Squad - Justin Blackmon WR
(116) Jabba The Hutt - LeGarrette Blount RB
(117) The Whistling Biscuits - Seahawks D/ST D/ST
(118) The Honey Badger - Steelers D/ST D/ST
(119) Team Pronk - Titus Young WR
(120) The Sound And The Fury - Matt Prater K
My Pick: Again, I loathe taking kickers before the 16th round. But when I am damn near sure I can get all my guys later anyway, might as well make sure I get myself a good one. Since Prater was the real reason behind the Tebow winning phenomenon last season, I decided to cut me a piece of that pie.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Look, I know I drafted Peterson, okay? But Gerhart is a smart pickup. The dude has got the moves to be a flex guy with no other factors included, so when you factor in the extra rest time All Day is looking to get, or God forbid he reinjures himself, Gerhart becomes a top 15 back... from the 12th round.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Seahawks defense. Meh. I'd rather have Titus Young.

Best of the Rest: Titus Young is slipping under the radar in a pass happy offense- I mean, Megatron will get his, but someone else has to catch balls too, right? I think Young makes a serious push for second on the depth charts.

Round: 13
(121) The Sound And The Fury - Jared Cook TE
(122) Team Pronk - Jon Baldwin WR
(123) The Honey Badger - James Starks RB
(124) The Whistling Biscuits - Sebastian Janikowski K
(125) Jabba The Hutt - Lions D/ST D/ST
(126) Da Bomb Squad - Darrius Heyward-Bey WR
(127) Rusty Trombones - David Wilson RB
(128) The Magic Conch - Michael Crabtree WR
(129) The Dark Knight Squeals - Kenny Britt WR
(130) Team Garrison - Tony Gonzalez TE
My Pick: Maybe it's my Titans bias showing through, but I think Jared Cook is the most undervalued tight end in fantasy football right now.

Yes, it's probably the bias.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Hey-Bey! DBS clearly showing he's got the best team in the league not owned by someone named Chase.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: James Starks. Just... no. I'd take Wilson over him, and I NEVER PICK ANYTHING TECH-RELATED.

Best of the Rest: Wilson and Crabtree are both nice picks. Gonzalez too. I do hesitate on Crabtree though, when the guy throwing to him has only slightly better quarterback prowess than I do.

Round: 14
(131) Team Garrison - Andrew Luck QB
(132) The Dark Knight Squeals - Shane Vereen RB
(133) The Magic Conch - Cedric Benson RB
(134) Rusty Trombones - Randy Moss WR
(135) Da Bomb Squad - Daniel Thomas RB
(136) Jabba The Hutt - Brent Celek TE
(137) The Whistling Biscuits - Josh Freeman QB
(138) The Honey Badger - Michael Floyd WR
(139) Team Pronk - Stephen Gostkowski K
(140) The Sound And The Fury - Randall Cobb WR
My Pick: Minnesota might have Percy Harvin. But in a few years, the poster boy for NFC North do-it-all receivers will be Randall Cobb.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: I don't know why, but I really like the success odds Cedric Benson has in Green Bay. I think he ends up a solid #2 guy.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Randy Moss is not a target. Randy Moss is a decoy.

Plus, to catch a 40 yard pass in the end zone... you have to have a guy capable of throwing a 40 yard touchdown pass. (Clearly I am not a big Alex Smith fan.)

Best of the Rest: I like the Andrew Luck pick- plenty of weapons at his disposal- and Celek is a nice grab too. He's still got it in him, if Andy Reid wants to use him.

Round: 15
(141) The Sound And The Fury - Rueben Randle WR
(142) Team Pronk - Kevin Smith RB
(143) The Honey Badger - Nate Kaeding K
(144) The Whistling Biscuits - Bills D/ST D/ST
(145) Jabba The Hutt - Mario Manningham WR
(146) Da Bomb Squad - Mason Crosby K
(147) Rusty Trombones - Sidney Rice WR
(148) The Magic Conch - Jets D/ST D/ST
(149) The Dark Knight Squeals - Falcons D/ST D/ST
(150) Team Garrison - Alshon Jeffery WR
My Pick: I fully admit that I messed up here. My original intent was to grab Ryan Fitzpatrick to solidify my shitty quarterback stock, knowing that between Fitzpatrick, Palmer, and Ben, I'd have someone to go to every week that would at least have a good matchup. But like so many of these douchey little JMU decommits, I was blinded by the Victor Cruz effect. Unlike said decommits, however, I have no intention of playing football for UMass and getting the shit beat out of me by superior 1A teams every Saturday this fall. Instead, I just took some no-name kid fresh out of the draft, and resigned myself to go to church next weekend. Forgive me Father.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Kevin Smith. Hey, someone has to run the ball on that team, right?

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Sidney Rice. If your manager says hey, you're my number one guy, but I'm totally gonna bring in a washed up 39 year old who used to do your job, but now is an actor for a terrible USA show just in case you suck... I tend to lose faith in you.

Best of the Rest: Jets D/ST. Totally being overlooked by drafters. Vintage works.

Round: 16
(151) Team Garrison - Garrett Hartley K
(152) The Dark Knight Squeals - Dan Bailey K
(153) The Magic Conch - Alex Henery K
(154) Rusty Trombones - Rob Bironas K
(155) Da Bomb Squad - Packers D/ST D/ST
(156) Jabba The Hutt - Santana Moss WR
(157) The Whistling Biscuits - Ronnie Brown RB
(158) The Honey Badger - Doug Baldwin WR
(159) Team Pronk - Patriots D/ST D/ST
(160) The Sound And The Fury - Brian Quick WR

My Pick: I already had Prater, so I could hold out here and grab another receiver. Quick is certainly a longshot, and it hurts my heart a little bit to draft some from Crapp State, but I have big expectations of this dude in a Jeff Fisher led team.

Pick I'd Most Like to Sit on Dave's Rooftop With: Ronnie Brown. Hey, it's good for the 16th round. People are sleeping by now.

Pick I wouldn't be Caught Dead with at Prom: Packers and Patriots D/ST. I know defense wins championships and those guys have a few... but I think in this particular case, those two facts might be mutually exclusive. I don't want their defenses on my team.

Best of the Rest: Bailey, Bironas, Henery... all solid kicker choices.



So whose draft went the best?  Feel free to shoutout feedback...

as long as you agree that mine did, of course.

JMU 2012 Football Primer

I think it was the Joker at the end of The Dark Knight that said "... Here We Go."

Okay you know what? Fine, I know it was the Joker, because I've seen the movie over 20 times. Can we move on now?

JMU Football is officially 17 days away from kickoff, and me and my super shiny press pass-- a distant cousin of the handy dandy notebook-- has all the info you rando's out there are craving for. So before one of my roommates jumps up on the kitchen counter and tells you to get the eff out, grab a beer and listen up, because here's everything you need to know about the 2012 JMU football season!

(in no particular order.)


1. The Offense is off to a quick start.

If there's a universal feeling of frustration that Dukes of all ages feel, it's wondering when the hell we might actually throw the ball. But good news on the front-- the offense looks good early on. In fact, concerning the state of the team last Friday, head coach Mickey Matthews actually said that the offense might even be a little ahead of the defense. Thorpe is back and ready to grind in what might be his final year at JMU-- to my knowledge, the NCAA has yet to hand down a decision regarding a sixth year of eligibility for him, though I admittedly haven't gotten to talk to him since last semester-- and his dual threat tendencies are keener than ever. Mix in blog fave runningback Dae'Quan Scott and we're dealing with a pretty powerful run game, even by the highly set JMU standards.

...that is, if Dae'Quan Scott is the starter.

2. Jordan Anderson is pushing for the starting job at Runningback.

With all due respect to Jace Edwards, Dae'Quan Scott became the guy when Thorpe was suspended last year for "repeated violation of team rules." What? No weed jokes allowed this time? Okay, we'll move on.

But as good as he was, and still is, Scott might get beat out for the starting job. I'm going from memory here, but Mickey said something very close to "Dae's shoulder injury isn't the issue, him gettin beat out by Anderson for the starting job is the issue... Anderson is a hell of a football player." That's second stringer Jordan Anderson Mickey is referring to, and there isn't much that is second-string about him. JMU has such quality depth at runningback, I would wager that Jordan could start for just about every other team out there in FCS-land, minus about half a dozen squads. I love both guys; either one will be a force to be reckoned with in the backfield. And though I think Scott eventually gets the nod for starting behind Thorpe, there's always the possibility that his shoulder pops out again and starts causing issues despite the offseason surgery. In that case, it's extremely comforting to know how capable Anderson is and will be in probable limited time this year.

Oh, and let's not forget about friend of the blog and third option Jauan Latney either, who averaged a cool 6.3 ypc in 2011! And he frequents my parties. Shoutout!

3. Evidently we're playing WVU?

The much-anticipated WVU-JMU matchup at FedEx is now exactly one month away, and Mickey was his usual droll self when approaching the topic. When an athletics staff member inquired as to how frequently Mickey was asked about the WVU matchup, he replied "Only about every 30 minutes." Evidently Coach finds his game plan called into question even when he frequents the fairway.

Here's all you need to know about the hype surrounding the WVU game. In the roughly 45 minute press conference, Mickey spent about 5 minutes talking about it; the good folks over at the DNR proceded to write their entire press conference article about the September 15 showdown, titling the article "WVU LOOMS" in big bold letters and generally making it sound like it dominated the presser much more than it actually did. I'm sure Mickey is appreciative.

(Author's Note: I love the guys over at the DNR, particularly Mark Selig. Just saying, Mickey is probably not too happy.)

(Additional Author's Note: As writers, we generally do not care when subjects are unhappy, nor are we supposed to.)

(Final Author's Note, and I promise this is the last one for now: Mickey told me and a few others a colorful tale about how ODU negatively recruited against JMU with one particular in-state wide receiver prospect by showing them an entire file of DNR clips about JMU's supposedly apethic attitude toward receivers. He didn't seem incredibly pleased about this either. I'm thinking the DNR writers are pretty much in the doghouse regardless of what or how they write for the time being.)

In all seriousness, what Mickey is happy about are the details of the WVU game. Let's forget that JMU is getting a shiny coin or two just for showing up (so is West Virginia, by the way); more importantly, it's an FBS game that isn't the first game of the season. Coach Matthews has told me multiple times in the past that he loathes playing an FBS game to start the season because it changes the tone of summer practices and drills. Rather than running camp the way he would like, he would have to run much more full contact scrimmages earlier than necessary to prepare the guys for the physical nature of an FBS matchup. Such was the case last year when we opened up against UNC on the Hill, and got demolished 45-10. UNC's vaunted D-Line tore our inexperienced O-line to pieces both literally and figuratively, and injuries from both camp scrimmages and the UNC game affected the entire rest of the season.

But hey! Since St. Francis and Alcorn State have so graciously offered us a 2-0 start to the season along with a couple warm up practice games, we don't have those issues this year.

4. The schedule is pretty awesome.

I've been saying this for months now, and hats off to Athletic Director Jeff Bourne and co. for doing some good work here, but the schedule really lines up for us. Mickey highlighted the Towson and ODU games-- to be broadcasted nationally on NBC Sports thanks to a swanky new CAA television deal-- as particularly significant in the race to crown a CAA champion. That's all I'll say about the schedule for now though, as I've already kind of analyzed it to pieces. For more on that, check out my snarky blog piece here or my more polished and polite newspaper article over here.

5. Vets on Vets on Vets.

No, I'm not still in JMU Baseball/Harrisonburg Turks writing mode, talking about the good ole days in Veterans Memorial Park. This team is so much older and more experienced than last year. Pop quiz-- did you know that a pretty giant portion of the 2011 offensive unit was actually freshmen? A huge portion of the O-Line, Jace Edwards, many of the skill players... even Scott was just a sophomore, and had only broken out in one of the final 2010 games when he almost single-handedly upset #1 William & Mary in Williamsburg in the first of many dominant performances.

This year? It's a whole different story. On offense, guard Earl Watford is a preseason All-America nod by most FCS online publications, and the rest of the line comes back a year stronger too. Thorpe is primed and ready, and we've already discussed the depth and experience at runningback. At receiver, Andre Coble was recently declared academically ineligible for the 2012 season, but other guys are ready to step up and fill the gap. Don't sleep on senior tight end Brian Barlow, who I think is about to have a huge year as the go-to guy on third down for Thorpe. (well, you know, third downs where we actually decide to pass the ball.)

On defense, we've lost the likes of DJ Bryant to the Houston Texans and a couple other quiet producers like Lamar Middleton and Vidal Nelson, but let's not forget that JMU's calling card is their defense. Mickey highlighted leaders up front like friend of the blog Tyler Snow and Stephon Robertson, and a couple Maryland transfers should fill out a leaky secondary that was truly the only concern of mine this offseason (I want no repeats of that Maine game last year.)

And lest I forget the kicking game, (place kicker) Cameron Starke and (punter) David Skahn are supposedly kicking the hell out of the ball.  Don't forget, Starke kicked two game-winners last year, including the icing on a first-round playoff win down in Kentucky. So there's that too.

6. Don't start bringing out your 2004 jerseys just yet, though, because it's not quite all rosey.

You didn't think that nothing was going wrong... did you?

Thorpe is of course the golden boy of the moment, but if he gets hurt? Or otherwise finds himself off the field for reasons I'll be even more pissed about? Vanderbilt transfer Lafonte Thorougood is currently the backup, but is being hamstrung by, well, some hamstring issues. It's affecting how quickly he's picking up the offense.

In fact, quite a few guys are having some hamstring issues-- WR DeAndre Smith and roughly 8-10 other Dukes are injured because of hamstring problems. None of them are serious or considered to be threatening to any important playing time, and Mickey said the problems should resolve themselves by the start of the season... but at the same time, Mickey says he's conversed with his staff regarding the possibility of having to burn one of the redshirts on the prized trio of freshman quarterbacks. He's not worried though. He'll do it if he has to.

7. All in all, I think we're gonna be pretty good this year. Evidently, I'm not the only one.

JMU finds themself as low as five and as high as two in many of the national preseason polls, ahead of the likes of both Towson and ODU despite finishing behind both in the CAA preseason media poll. Now these polls came out this week, so they weren't the topic of discussion at the JMU presser last Friday. But according to Paul Montana via Tuesday's DNR, Mickey finds a #5 ranking to be "reasonable."

The real question here is this-- if we're 3rd in the CAA media poll, but ranked ahead of all other CAA media teams in the national polls... which is the correct line of thinking?

Well, not to cop out here, but I'm not sure one is more correct than the other. The CAA is once again going to be a knock-down, drag-out dogfight, and it's a continuing testament to the league's toughness that JMU, the defending champion Towson Tigers, or even those ass hole Monarchs over in Norfolk could be the true best preseason team-- if such a thing even exists.

(Author's Note: The Sports Network ranked six CAA teams in their preseason top 25, including JMU [5], Towson [7], ODU [8], New Hampshire [14], Delaware [15], and Maine [21].)

To me, the most important thing I took away from the press conference was the quality of the depth the team seems to have this year, and I think that's the difference not only between 2011 and 2012, but generally speaking, it's the difference between good teams and great ones. Coach Matthews reported that they typically pit the 1st offense against the 2nd defense and vice versa, and though the 1st teams usually crush their undermatched teammates, the second teams seemed to be holding on alright this year on both sides. This doesn't mean our offense and defense are subpar- on the contrary, it means we're going to be able to get some good rest minutes in the middle of drives if need be.

That could be huge against experienced teams (Towson) or in physically punishing games (ODU). Best those two teams, and the CAA is very much ours for the taking.



What's that? Sixteen days and counting? Meet you in the baseball lot.

Here we go.

Dear Diary: Harrisonburg Turks Internship

You may have noticed a pretty obvious lack of content going up on the C4G site this summer. This is for a various number of reasons; among other things, I've been designing an expanded version of this blog to be launched later this year. I've also been logging quite a few hours over at the Massanutten waterpark complex, my newest occupational hazard.

Despite all that, however, quite a bit of my time has been allocated in the Veterans Memorial Park press box, writing for the Harrisonburg Turks. For those who don't know, I was basically given free reign to write recaps and manage the team's website (www.harrisonburgturks.com). I occassionally took some photos, but mainly I was responsible for shooting video interviews and writing up game stories on a night to night basis.

Along the way, I got to stick my fingers in some other peoples' pies. DJ Brown- a now former JMU baseball player- hung out with us for a while and played the music, but was actually drafted by the Cleveland Indians and left us half way through the season. My hat goes off to DJ, who spent the 2012 season rehabbing an injury, and we all wish him the best out on the farm. But as he was sweating it out in Arizona, I got my hands on the music for each home game.

And yes, I played an obnoxious amount of Matchbox 20.

Of course when our statistician Brhe went on a camping trip was called on by her national guard regiment to provide disaster relief in the wake of that giant storm at the beginning of July, I got a crash course in DOS baseball stat software. (yeah, I know that's old.)

I even got to practice my baseball voice once or twice, when public address phenom Curt Dudley was off being awesome some place else in the continental US.

I have all kinds of friends and fans ask me why I enjoy softball/baseball writing so much, as the sport is perceived as being "boring" and generally less entertaining than entertaining than football or basketball. But these are people who watch baseball on television. To truly enjoy America's pasttime, you have to watch it live.

And I did. For who knows how many home games from June 1 through August 4, I got to hang out with awesome people, eat postgame dinners FOR FREE with awesome players, and generally be a part of an awesome atmosphere. The places I am given access to and the spectacles that I witness continue to amaze me.

And did I mention the food was free?

But the most incredible part of this summer wasn't just my proximity to it, but the sheer emotional freedom I was given to be a part of the Turks organization.

As a very intense and dedicated fan of sports, one of the crappiest parts of journalism is the sense of practiced apathy you have to develop toward the topics and teams you write about. Everyone in the state of Virginia knows I love all things related to the city of Morgantown, and I think that's generally accepted as a flavor of my writing. But even still, the air of bias must make itself scarce to be a successful sports writer. Your integrity as a writer must always take precedence over the team you care about.

...except this summer. Because I was a staff writer for the actual team, I was part of the organization. I was still reporting the news, but I was doing it as an institutional informer- not a member of the media. I could allow myself to be elated following a win and dejected after each loss, not denying myself the emotional spectrum to which every other fan is granted access.

And yes, when the Harrisonburg Turks swept Rockbridge, edged Waynesboro, and pitched their way past the #6 nationally ranked Winchester Royals, I was pretty damn happy.

The organization-- the team, the coaches, the owners, and a few others, including myself-- all went out to Buffalo Wild Wings for drinks following that final win last Saturday. And yes, we all celebrated together, as any team does. That's what I got myself into this summer.


I am eternally grateful to the Wease family for allowing me to be a huge part of their summer. They could have easily gone a different direction and selected any other writing intern, but they didn't.


Other people that deserve some thanks--

-Curt, DJ, and Brhe, for putting up with my continued press box antics;

-the players, particularly Brian Yeung, for enduring my horribly laughable interviews;

-Bob Wease again, for not murdering me over my lack of knowledge of Harrisonburg country music stations;

-Sean and Kevin McGough, who always kept me humble by mocking me with spicy milkshakes (within reason)

-Scott Musa, for understandably bumbling through my pitch-hitting, late night stat emails;

-The fans of Harrisonburg, for continually complimenting me on my writing;

-Curt Dudley again, for giving me some solid shoutouts throughout the season;

-My friends, who constantly endured text responses that looked something like "no, can't hang out tonight, I have baseball" and never complained once;

-Bill Frazier and Sarah Baran, who continually worked with me on scheduling issues all the way through the end of the season

-And finally Teresa Wease again, who truly was so easy to work with. I wish for every 20-something college student in America to have a Teresa Wease running their internship, because it could not have been better. Teresa has 100 million things to do every single game, and she does them all, every time, and still manages to bring me water from the concession stand.



Congrats to the 2012 Harrisonburg Turks, Valley League Champions!

Big 12 Preseason Rankings

Since the media is all aflutter this week with coach interviews, player ranks, and preseason polls, I thought I'd do a couple rankings of my own. This is just quick hits, folks. No explanation, no endearing commentary. I'll be doing the Big 12 today, and the Big East and ACC later this weekend.



1. West Virginia
2. Oklahoma
3. Texas
4. Kansas State
5. Oklahoma State
6. TCU
7. Texas Tech
8. Baylor
9. Iowa State
10. Kansas



...okay, so maybe a little endearing commentary. I think it's important to point out that I have West Virginia on top not just because I'm a fanboy (let's be honest, it was a factor), but because I think Oklahoma is almost as overrated this year as they were last year when they were the preseason #1 team in the land. They're going to be good again- almost certainly a top 2 finish in the conference- but just like last year when I had Oklahoma State taking the conference, I have the quote-unquote "second-best team" beating out the Normanites for all the gravy.

Other things to consider- Kansas State is being vastly overlooked and underrated by basically everyone on Earth. I don't think they have athletes to compete with the likes of Texas or the other top two teams, but they're head and shoulders above the rest of the conference and capable of knocking anyone off.

I wish people would hop off the respective crotches of Baylor and Oklahoma State. This is not a complex concept. The primary reasons their teams were good are now gone. They aren't going to pick up right where they left off. There will be major steps backward.

TCU will have a middle of the pack intro season. Their schedule gets pretty brutal down the stretch.

Texas Tech will finish ahead of the "other teams." They'll be noticably better, too. I'm thinking bowl eligible.

Iowa State will have another middling year, but will stage another huge upset.

Kansas will continue to remind their fans why they appreciate basketball so much.

2012 Bowl Forecasting/Phil Steele is a Moron

The Blog hasn't forgotten about you folks. The Blog does, however, have a second job that is consuming around 50-60 hours a week. Thankfully, Phil Steele has shaken me from my work-induced, apathetic coma.

I enjoy Phil Steele. He has a sleek, shiny website that really makes this blog look like a piece of shit (just being honest). But hey, sometimes a glossy coat of paint can't hide the inner machinations of a complete moron. Phil Steele, I'm calling you out.

Pop Quiz: Take a peek at Steele's 2012 bowl projections. Which of the following best describes these pairings?

A. Utterly Rediculous
B. Completely Idiotic
C. Entirely Wrong
D. Another Superlative Adverb/Degrading Adjective Combination
E. All of the Above


If you chose E, then congratulations! You have won a modicum of intelligence that apparently other bloggers in the field seem to have misplaced.


I won't make you read through all the projections listed on Steele's site-- bowl games are getting to be a bit like Redskin losses, it's just getting entirely too hard to keep track of them all-- so for your convenience, I will list the important ones below:

Rose Bowl: USC vs Wisconsin (C4G Bullshit Meter: 3/10)
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs Michigan St (C4G Bullshit Meter: 4/10)
Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs Alabama (C4G Bullshit Meter: 7/10)

Orange Bowl: Oregon vs USF & BCS National Championship: FSU vs Oklahoma (C4G Bullshit Meter: temporarily broken due to excessive BS)

Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Arkansas (C4G Bullshit Meter: 5/10)
Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs Georgia (C4G Bullshit Meter: 2/10)
Outback Bowl: Nebraska vs Florida (C4G Bullshit Meter: 3/10)
Gator Bowl: Iowa vs South Carolina (C4G Bullshit Meter: 6/10)
Alamo Bowl: Stanford vs West Virginia (C4G Bullshit Meter: 5/10)
ChickFilA Bowl: Clemson vs Tennessee (C4G Bullshit Meter: 7/10)


Okay, so that's a lot to process. But most of that boils down into the following couple of take-away notes:


1. Oklahoma will win nearly every Big 12 game next year, if not go outright undefeated.
2. Florida State will go undefeated and win the ACC championship.
3. Wisconsin will win the Big 10 for the third straight year, followed (in order) by Michigan, MSU, Nebraska, and potentially Iowa.
4. After Oklahoma, Texas will finish second in the Big 12, followed by Oklahoma State, then West Virginia.
5. USC and LSU will each lose at least twice.
6. Georgia will win the SEC East, but the SEC West will have three of the four best teams. (LSU, Bama, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Tennesse, South Carolina in that order.)



Okay, so I'm gonna start at home in the Big 12. Thinking that Oklahoma and WVU will be 1 and 2 in some order is typical. Throwing Texas in there, understandable. Throwing OSU in... it's not unheard of, but I certainly wouldn't base postseason predictions off of it.

The Big 10 is a little hairy too. I think Nebraska is being entirely undervalued, but I'm okay with Wisconsin winning. Steele gets a stamp of approval here.

This is the point at which Steele seems to lose his sanity.

The Big 12 is deeper than the hole Leonidas kicks that Persian douchebag into in 300, and there's no way on Earth Oklahoma (or for my money, anyone else in the Big 12) is going to run through that gauntlet unscathed. Oklahoma will not play for the national championship. And Florida State? Is a response even necessary for that? I'm gonna just let that one go, and list it as charity next time I fill out my taxes.

Of course, placing FSU in the title game has far reaching implications. Steele informs us that he doesn't believe an ACC school will be up to snuff for the Orange Bowl in FSU's absence, so the OB selection committee will choose to take Oregon as an at large. They will of course play South Florida. Who else would be better to cap a tale that starts with Florida State not reaching its expectations than another perenially underachieving Florida school? It's all so poetic and flowery. And as they say in the League, pretty damn Frittata.


And let's not forget about Texas' at large BCS bid, or South Carolina having an even worse year than 2011. Ha. Right.

Steele makes some understandable concessions, and follows them up with some downright laughable ones. So for the sake of his education, here's by best shot at predicting the unpredictable:


BCS Title Game: LSU vs USC
Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia vs Pittsburgh
Orange Bowl: Clemson vs Oklahoma
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs Nebraska
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Oregon

Cotton Bowl: Texas vs Alabama
Capital One Bowl: Michigan vs Arkansas
Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs South Carolina
Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs Mississippi State
Alamo Bowl: Kansas State vs Washington
ChickFilA Bowl: Florida State vs Tennessee

Ascension

I am not going to break any new ground today. By now, you all know that LeBron James has earned-- emphasis on earned-- a championship. He's climbed the mountain, topped the tower, conquered all there was to be conquered (this year). The King has ascended his throne.

I watched James just about every game this postseason not because I am a fan of the Heat-- in terms of basketball, they're actually kind of difficult to watch outside of their transition game-- but because I am a fan of greatness. That's simply what LeBron is. As Mike Greenberg said via twitter, “You don't have to like Lebron, but if you refuse to respect his game, be aware you are taking a position that is indefensible.”

I truly think the flood gates are about to open. I really do. The Miami experiment has officially been justified with a title. Management doesn’t have to be afraid to pour money in to sustain what’s going on. They need guys at the 1 and 5 positions pretty badly (as badly as any championship team has ever needed them, probably), and odds are they’re probably going to get them now.

More importantly, Lebron James has exorcised some demons this postseason. I’m not talking about public perception either. It’s fun to debate what you and I think, but ultimately, it doesn’t quite matter. What does matter is the state of mind James can enter postseason games in. I fully believe the pressure is off now. Sure, he’s still expected to win. That’s a given. But he’s already got the snazzy hardware on his hand, and the ant-on-fire, microscopic focus with which Lebron has fallen under the last few seasons will be gone.

And I think they’re gonna pour it on. The Miami Heat are about to go on a tear. One for the ages.

The haters… well, they’ll continue to do their thing. I don’t know what Skip Bayless has to say this morning, nor do I particularly care that much. Someone said a few days ago that LeBron has become so polarizing, he’s actually on the level of politics at this point. People have made their decisions already. Conservatives are Conservatives and Liberals are Liberals; the same is true with LBJ. If you like him, you’re going to continue to like and appreciate him. And if you don’t like/hate him—whether it be because you didn’t like “The Decision,” and his $1,000,000 donation to charity, whether you’re jealous, whether your summer house is in Cleveland, or whatever other possible reasons there are—you will continue to not like him. It’s engrained.

If the best revenge is to live well, then today, LeBron James has his revenge. Dan Gilbert can suck it.

Some Memorable Quotes:

“So,let me get this straight: You hate guys who take less money and sacrifice individual glory to try to win titles in a team sport.” –Mike Greenberg, Twitter

“The past two months haven't been a coronation for the new Finals MVP as much as they've been an acquittal. That's what everything has been about for James since he decided to sign in Miami and then chased that with an end to last season that legitimately shamed him. Not all of it can be washed away with beer and champagne, but James was willing to try.” –Brian Windhorst, Daily Dime


“I did it the right way; I didn't short-cut anything. It's the hardest thing I've ever done.” –LeBron James, on this year’s playoffs.


“LeBron James, by the sheer tidal force of the 28.6 point/7.4 assist/10.2 rebound average line he posted in these NBA Finals -- including 26/13/11 in the clinching game -- didn't just refute the old arguments against his "clutchness," but obliterated them, rendered them ridiculous. Do yourself a favor: Take a minute to appreciate the mastery of the sport we witnessed these past eight weeks. It doesn't happen often.”   –Tom Sunnergren, Philadunkia/Daily Dime


“Great NBA season. Enjoyed playoffs. Congratulations to Miami & OKC for an exciting Finals. Back to work on next weeks promising Cavs draft.” –Dan Gilbert, Twitter


“His 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in the closeout game represented, by any measure, the cherry on one of the greatest individual playoff runs in history. He averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds during the playoffs; moved to power forward when Chris Bosh missed nine playoff games with an injury; led rallies from deficits in three consecutive series; delivered one of the most dominating games of this generation with 45 points in a road elimination game in Boston; got his first Game 7 victory; set a record for number of playoff games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists; and became the fifth player ever to have multiple Finals triple-doubles. You could go on and on. The summation is that James is a worthy champion.”  -Brian Windhorst, Daily Dime


“Finally.” –Skip Bayless

“LeBron James is the first player in nine years to win both the regular-season league MVP award and the NBA championship in the same season. The last was Tim Duncan in the 2002-03 season.” –Elias Sports Bureau

“What I meant to say was, the Cleveland Cavaliers will win one championship before LeBron wins seven.” –Dan Gilbert

(okay, fine,  I made that last one up)

“But really, I've known since the Pacers series; definitely since the end of the Boston series. This is the best player in the world. The best player of his generation. His lack of rings meant about as much as the number of Oscars sitting on Martin Scorsese's mantel when he made Goodfellas. Zero. I knew right then: I'm watching something special. It makes one Thursday night different than all the rest. It makes watching every minute worth every second.” –Chris Ryan, Grantland

“For the past two years, the sportosphere has been focused on the fallacy of deconstructing greatness. Although daily arguments over behavior in late-game situations and historical placement are part of the natural sports discourse, the NBA fan has been stuck in an unhealthy, argumentative state. We are more interested in analyzing individual body language than in deconstructing a team's pick-and-roll defense. Now that the Miami Heat have seized control of the NBA Finals, we are mentally preparing for a world where LeBron has officially earned his place in the discussion of greatness. All of our arguments are about to become irrelevant, exposing the flawed template we used to construct our anti-LeBron values.” –Carles, Grantland

“I’d been quietly pulling for the Miami Heat to win the title since April -- and not because I find LeBron James to be sympathetic or because I like the Heat’s brand of basketball or even because I have a lingering attachment to the Heat after covering them in Miami during the 2010-11 season.
I simply wanted it all to be about basketball again, because the public exercise of trying to probe James’ inner life had grown tiresome. The ease with which epithets like choke artist, fraud and much worse have been thrown at James has always been petty and, when examined closely, they usually rang false. In recent months, those takedowns had also become boring, and the prospect that they’d continue to dominate the NBA for at least another year was excruciating…  All that talk is over. The next time James falls short -- and he almost certainly will at some point -- we’ll measure that failure in the context of the game, not in the language of hysteria.”  -Kevin Arnovitz

“[Losing last year] was the best thing that ever happened to me in my career. Because basically, I got back to the basics, it humbled me, and I knew what it was going to take and I was going to have to change as a basketball player and change as a person to get what I wanted.” –LeBron James

Early ATS Predictions: Good Bets & a WVU Preview

Today on the C4G blog, we’re continuing in the same vein of betting ATS.

Earlier in the week, I made some predictions as to how some of the most important games of the season might fall. Often times, though, looking at spreads is a lot harder when there’s a lot on the line in a nationally televised game. So today, I recommend some less relevant games to look at for high-percentage ATS bets.



September 6- Pittsburgh at Cincinatti (-5)

So Pitt. Ugh. Most readers know I like the University of Pittsburgh somewhat similarly to how I like getting root canals, lobotomies, and prostate exams all at the same time. But even I know a good Pittsburgh-related bet when I see one.

Cincinatti has owned the Big East since Rich Rod’s departure from Morgantown, winning or sharing all but one of the titles since the 2008 season. So it’s not surprising to see them as a home favorite here early on in the season before individual team reputations can really get established. But the Bearcats lost Big East Offensive POY (RB Isaiah Pead) and Big East Co-Defensive POY (DT Derek Wolfe). Wolfe, along with other draft losses like JK Schaffer, were instrumental in stopping the run last year in all the UC games that I watched. Meanwhile, Pead was a major force of offense for the Cats.

That was then. Now, Cincinatti looks to reload and fix all their holes with young guys as Ray Graham and the Panthers roll in to town. Ray Graham probably would have gone on to win BE OPOY had he not gone down with a season-ending injury in the middle of the season.

So, what I’m seeing here is a really good runningback going up against a suddenly untested, young defense. Early on in the year, I’m taking the five points and my much maligned rivals in a game I believe Pittsburgh will win outright.

Pick: Pitt +5


September 8- Georgia at Missouri (+3)

Ouch. Welcome to the SEC.

Eastern favorite Georgia is gonna roll into town early on in week 2. Missouri hasn’t been relevant since ya boy Chase Daniel was hanging out. Three points isn’t nearly enough for Missouri to pull off an upset like this.

Pick: Georgia -3


September 14- Washington State at UNLV (+17.5)

Did WSU suddenly get really, really good when I wasn’t looking? Because if memory serves, the Cougs weren’t that close to something trivial like bowl eligibility last year, let alone a winning season. UNLV isn’t a worldbeater either, but I can’t really fathom State winning by over 17 points on the road.

Pick: UNLV +17.5


September 15- USC at Stanford (+7.5)

7.5 spreads are always dangerous, but USC is preseason #1 team in the land, and it seems Stanford has run out of Luck. I like the Trojans by double digits.

USC -7.5


September 8- Clemson at FSU (-8)

The ACC is the most overrated conference in America and has been for a long time (two BCS wins says it all). Hence why their conference champion can run through the conference like a hot knife through butter (okay, maybe a luke-warm knife…) and beat the second best team of the conference soundly, twice. I’m still offended this shitbucket of a conference got two BCS bids last year, and yeah, I want to take it out on someone or something. With all the Virginia Tech fans out of my sordid apartment, it looks like you, my lovely reader, are now the object of my aggression.

Clemson is going to get shit on this preseason. That’s a fact. The only thing people are going to see when they see Clemson Orange and that gay paw print in the number 70, and while part of me wants to beam with pride, another part of me feels kind of sorry for the Clemson fan base. They’re going to get disrespected a lot this year, and they still have a pretty good team.

(I still contend that the Orange Bowl was less about Clemson being overrated and more about WVU being underrated)

Can we get some respect for the champs up in here? The only team deserving of a 2011/2012 season BCS bid is not going to be a pushover, and I have 0 reason to believe in a Florida State team that takes a dump in their pants year after year after year. This is by far not the strongest bet on this page, but I’d still take it without question. Clemson wins outright, and I enjoy my eight point cushion.

Pick: Clemson +8


September 29- Arkansas at Texas A&M (+2.5)

Ahh yes, another welcome-to-the-SEC present, this time for the Aggies. Even in College Station, 2.5 points isn’t enough to overcome one of the premiere teams this upcoming season.

Arkansas -2.5

October 20- UNLV at Boise State (-35.5)

Again, UNLV pops up. I’m not saying they’re gonna be an epic team here or anything. But Boise is losing Kellen Moore, that rechargeable battery that has made the Broncos and their bedazzled field so near-invincible. Without him, and against a Boise team that is destined to have a comparatively down year, I am just logically obligated to take the five touchdowns being handed to me here.

Pick: UNLV +35.5


November 8- Florida State at Virginia Tech (-1)

This is basically a pick em contest on a Thursday night. And while I detest all things Tech (as well as the constantly growing “Enter Sandman” references like the city of Blacksburg owns the song—just like Boston thinks they own Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”), I’m taking the castrated turkeys to handle their business at home, at night, on ESPN.

Pick: Virginia Tech -1


November 20- Kansas State at TCU (-3.5)

I touch on this a little more later on, but Kansas State is underrated and TCU is overrated. Collin Klein is a baller. Cats win outright.

Pick: K-State +3.5

Okay, now for my fellow fans (and also those of you that like to mock my homer picks, I’m looking at you Karthik)… it’s time to take a peek at some early release West Virginia lines.

There might be other establishments that have released spread information for 2012 WVU football, but since I’ve been doing Golden Nugget thus far, I’ll stick with the guys that got me here.

September 1- Marshall at WVU (-20)

So this bet scares me more than you might think. The Herd seem to be more and more pissed off that they’ve never beat us every year, and they aren’t without some speedy little guys that can make plays of their own. And I love Doc Holliday. He’s a great coach.

I am somewhat tempted to believe in the power of the points here. But WVU won by 18 last year in a highly segmented game where Geno couldn’t get into a rhythm because of rain delays, not to mention it was his very first game in Dana’s system. The program enters the season with on an incredible high note, and I’ve got to think they can pick up three more points.

Pick: WVU -20


September 29- Baylor at WVU (-11)

Baylor is going to be offensively challenged without RG3 in the backfield. Maybe more importantly though, this game isn’t just in Morgantown—it’s the first Big 12 game, which happens to be at home. And remember, I don’t mean first of the season. I mean first, ever. And it happens to be in Morgantown. You think fans will be intoxicated fired up?

Pick: WVU -11

October 6- WVU at Texas (-4)

If you’ve talked me into talking football in person with you, I’ve probably already told you that this is it. This is the game that scares the bejesus out of me. Oklahoma will lose in Morgantown, I’ve all but guaranteed it, but this is the game that nobody will talk about until 10 days before it happens. It’s just Texas! They’ve been down!

Down or not, Texas still has a lot of hyperathletic recruits that can give our athletes like Tavon Austin problems. I think Texas is going to be really fired up to push around the new kids on the block, and this is West Virginia’s first real test of the season anyway. On the road against a team we’ve never played, I think this is the game that decides our fate.

Pick: Texas -4


October 20- Kansas State at WVU (-7.5)

K-State is a drastically underrated team in all of these spreads, and I think they will match the Mountaineers step for step in this game. I think they might even lead at halftime. But WVU will win this game by 10 or 11 and clear the spread.

Pick: WVU -7.5


November 3- TCU at WVU (-6)

What scares me about this game is not anything about TCU—just the opposite actually, I think they are incredibly unscary defensively—but external circumstances. West Virginia is probably only a one loss team at this point, and a potentially undefeated Oklahoma team is coming to town in the next home game. College Gameday rumors will be flying around. And it’s easy to look past TCU as an unexplosive team with nothing special about it.

If TCU goes to 7.5 or above, I think I’d take Gary and the inscrutable toads. But at six, I’m sticking with my team to win a scary, potentially overlooked game.

Pick: WVU -6

(Coincidentally, Gary and the Inscrutable Toads would be the name of my future hypothetical band.)



November 10- WVU at Oklahoma St (-6.5)

Dana’s homecoming will most likely be unpleasant, but the Pokes are being seriously overrated this preseason. They are losing their two most important players, both of whom were hugely mature playmakers, and odds makers seem to be failing to fully take this into account.

Now, no disrespect intended here. I’ve been to Stillwater, and their stadium is surprisingly imposing. (It’s right next to their basketball stadium.) WVU may very well lose this game, it wouldn’t surprise me terribly if this was a post-Oklahoma letdown. But I think it would be close (unlike a potential Texas loss) and I’m taking the points.

Pick: WVU +6.5


November 17- Oklahoma at WVU (+4)

It’s well documented at this point.  I believe Oklahoma will lose this game.

Pick: WVU +4

So there you have it. Homer picks from the homer writer.

Since we’re talking odds, I’d like to leave you an accurate depiction of WVU’s odds at the National Championship. This comes from Bleacher Report’s Alex Callos, and I think we absolutely nailed it, so all credit to him:

“West Virginia is a dark horse for the national championship and has one of the most explosive offenses in the country.

The Mountaineers are very talented led by quarterback Geno Smith and two dynamic wide receivers.

Others may not be as high on West Virginia, but this team has the potential to win all of its games and play for the BCS National Championship.

Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

Odds- 12:1”


Couldn't have said it better myself.