Football Future-see Week 4

RECORD:

Week 1..........7-1

Week 2.........4-1

Week 3 ....... 3-1

Week 4 ....... 2-3

TOTAL.......16-6

1 ALABAMA at 10 ARKANSAS CORRECT

The top-ranked Crimson Tide go up against the Gunslinger Ryan Mallett, who I've heard mentioned as a Heisman candidate, but take that with a grain of salt, that Shoelace kid a Michigan is good. Mallett has yet to play a defense like 'Bama's. Georgia played them tough last week, and but for a fifty-yard TD, would've forced overtime. Alabama won't allow that.

FINAL SCORE: Alabama 27, Arkansas 21

24 OREGON STATE at 3 BOISE STATE INCORRECT

I said that Oregon State was going to beat either TCU or Boise State, and I picked Boise because their defense isn't nearly as tough as TCU's. I'm going to stand by that, even against my better judgment.

FINAL SCORE: Oregon State 20, Boise State 17

GEORGIA at MISSISSIPPI STATE INCORRECT

Georgia hasn't lost at Starkville since 1951. Georgia has also never lost its first two SEC games under Mark Richt, but they have this year. Don't look for that trend to continue.

FINAL SCORE: Georgia 30, Miss. State 17

12 SOUTH CAROLINA at 17 AUBURN INCORRECT

The War Eagles... er, Plainsmen, er, Tigers... uh... er... the identity-crisis ridden team from Auburn, is looking quite good. Then again, South Carolina has a really good running back. I don't know that Auburn can stop the kid.

FINAL SCORE: South Carolina 24, Auburn 13

22 WEST VIRGINIA at 15 LSU CORRECT

Those other Tigers... also known as the Bayou Bengals... have surprised me this year. I feel like they've out-performed. Their definitely a dark horse team, as far as I'm concerned. West Virginia now looks like the favorite in the Big East, which is kind of like beating up on a group of junior varsity teams.

FINAL SCORE: LSU 27, West Virginia 20

Football Future-see Week 3

RECORD:

Week 1..........7-1

Week 2.........4-1

Week 3 ....... 3-1

TOTAL.......14-3

12 ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA INCORRECT

Georgia lost 17-6 last week, failing to even reach the endzone against South Carolina. Arkansas is steadily climbing the Top 25. Of course, Georgia is back home, and they are a different team between the hedges.

FINAL SCORE: Georgia 24, Arkansas 21

8 NEBRASKA AT WASHINGTON CORRECT

Nebraska travels to Washington, where they very well could lay an egg. Don't look for it, but expect Washington to give the Huskers a run.

FINAL SCORE: Nebraska 17, Washington 13

10 FLORIDA AT TENNESSEE CORRECT

The tenth-ranked Gators travel to the Vols. Neyland Stadium is a tough place to play, but the Ducks last week rolled up 48 points. The Gators offense hasn't completely clicked yet, but they will.

FINAL SCORE: Florida 42, Tennessee 17

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT 15 LSU

The Bulldogs of Mississippi State go to the SEC version of Death Valley. LSU is playing better than expected, but Les Miles is still on the hot seat.

FINAL SCORE: LSU 40, Miss State 20

AIR FORCE AT 7 OKLAHOMA CORRECT

Air Force has a potent offense, and last week they took down the Cougars of BYU. Oklahoma looks a wee bit better after scraping by Utah State in week one. Look for a close game.

FINAL SCORE: Oklahoma 30, Air Force 24

***UPDATE***

Well, Georgia has cost us yet again. It might be of little solace to anyone, but I did get Georgia's score right, I just missed Arkansas's score by ten. Also, the final in the Oklahoma game was Sooners 27-24. Nebraska laid a beating on Washington, and Florida trounced Tennessee.

Post #300

I made it to 300. Looking back to July 10, 2006, I can see that this blog has come a long way. Since I started writing The Right Wing I've graduated college, bought a new car, moved out, started a good job, traveled to Kansas for a month. I've done a lot.

POLITICS:

My political view hasn't really changed. I'm still conservative. In fact, I'm probably more Libertarian than when I started the blog. I really feel like the government should leave us all alone. Sadly, the government got bigger under Bush, and it's getting bigger everyday under Obama. I make it no secret, I feel the Obama is on his way to being the worst president ever. I have buckets of respect for the Office. And I wish Obama the best, and I truly hope the a Republican victory in the midterm elections will moderate Obama as it did Clinton, but I'm not holding on to hope.

SPORTS:

My view on sports, unlike my political view, has changed drastically. I still follow hockey, the NFL and college football. But let's talk motorsports. I once followed NASCAR and no other racing types. But then, in July of 2008, I came across Formula 1. I had heard my friend Robert talk about F1 for years, and I mostly ignored him. That day, though, I saw what he was talking about. If you've followed the blog since then, you'll know that I'm now hooked on F1.

WORK:

When the blog began I was working at a sign and print shop in Buford. Then, in June of 2009, I started working for General Dynamics. I get to travel and work with the military. No complaints.

So that's they story of The Right Wing. I've been doing this for 300 posts over a little more than four years. Maybe we'll have 300 more.

That aside, I feel remiss to not say anything on this, the ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. On this day, nine years past, we awoke to a bright Tuesday morning. All was right with the world, as far as most Americans were concerned. Little did any of us know that, at 47 minutes after 8 that morning, our world view would change irrevocably.

I recall sitting in the parking lot at Gainesville College, listening to the start of the Neal Boortz show before going to class. That's when the news broke that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. Initially it was said to be a small plane, but a quick run to the CNN website proved that wrong.

Students gathered in the AV Room and, as the librarian turned on the TV, the second plane struck the towers. I had no clue what was happening or why. I was in my insulated little world. But on that morning, the bright September morning, nineteen Saudis changed my world view.

I went to my teachers for the day, told them that I was going home, and went home. I walked next door to my grandparents, and along the way I heard on the radio that the Pentagon had been hit. Each successive news story tore away a little more of my insulation. We were being exposed to the world.

As I walked through the door my grandmother asked me what was going on. As I tried to explain the news footage changed from the anchor to a shot of the towers, and the first tower was collapsing. It didn't take much more time before the second tower collapsed.

I honestly can't recall when I heard about Flight 93 going down over Shanksville, PA. I was completely shaken. I stared at the devastation on the TV, wondering why it had happened. Then, later in the day, one of the news channels showed footage from the Middle East, and one of the first things they showed was an older-middle-aged Palestinian woman dancing and celebrating in the streets. That's when my bloodlust set in. I hate that it did, but it happened. I was angry.

I quickly calmed, and now with the addition of a few years, I have come to understand things better. Still, though, those of us who remember that day had our lives changed forever.

Football Future-see Week 2 (Post 299)

RECORD:

Week 1..........7-1

Week 2.........4-1

TOTAL.......11-2

The Games:

Michigan at Notre Dame CORRECT

Michigan leaves the Big House for this game. Both teams are seemingly in revival years, returning to the prominence they once enjoyed, or at least that's what they'd have you believe. Michigan took down UConn last week. Notre Dame knocked off Purdue. So what happens this week?

Final Score: Michigan 27, Notre Dame 24

17 Florida State at 10 Oklahoma CORRECT

FSU travels to the Sooners this week, one week after laying 59 points on... whoever it was they played. Oklahoma barely escaped Utah State. Is this an upset?

Final Score: Oklahoma 26, Florida State 20

22 UGA at 24 South Carolina INCORRECT

Georgia is short handed without AJ Green, who was suspended for four games (retroactive) for selling his jersey to what the NCAA deemed was an agent. South Carolina has never beaten Georgia at home under Spurrier. Will they?

Final Score: Georgia 24, South Carolina 21

12 Miami at 2 Ohio State CORRECT

Miami at Ohio State looks like the game of the week. The Hurricanes are a team of potential, the Buckeyes are a known good. Still, as good as they are in the regular season, OSU better hpe they don't meet an SEC team in the bowls.

Final Score: Ohio State 30, Miami 24

18 Penn State at 1 Alabama CORRECT

'Bama put 48 on San Jose State last week. Penn State score 44 points. Neither team will do that this week. Expect a defensive game, but no surprises.

Final Score: Alabama 28, Penn State 17

***UPDATE***

Well, Georgia lost, so already we know this won't be a perfect week. But upsets abound. #13 Virginia Tech fell to FCS power James Madison and #15 Georgia Tech dropped a game against Kansas, who lost 6-3 in week one... to North Dakota State.

***UPDATE 2***

I'm 3-1 through 4 games. Scary, considering I picked Michigan over ND 27-24 and the final was 28-24.

***UPDATE 3***

Well, it's over. 4-1.

An NFL Preview, A Formula 1 Review

This is a two-fold post. The NFL season kicks off Thursday. Formula 1 goes to the storied Monza Circuit Sunday. So let's review Formula 1 first.

Back in July, Formula 1 returned to the Hockenheimring for the first time in two years. The race saw Scuderia Ferrari return to form, as three-quarters through the race Felipe Massa held a slim lead over Fernando Alonso. Then came a radio message that would echo for the rest of the race. Massa's race engineer, Rob Smedley, announced, "Fernando is quicker than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?" Massa then stoically pulled over and allowed Alonso to pass.

Smedley then said, "Good boy. Try to keep up. Sorry." The race ended with Alonso atop the podium and Massa second. Immediately cries went up to the FIA. Ferrari had used team orders, which are not allowed. The stewards, being the upstanding citizens that they are, leveled a $100,000 fine on the team, and it was announced that Ferrari would face a meeting of the World Motor Sports Council on September 8.

Well, today was meeting day. All around the internet speculation was flying as to what punishment Ferrari would receive. Would they be stripped of the driver's and constructor's points from Germany? Would they be banned from the Constructor's Championship for the year? Well, since the FIA is often accused of being Ferrari International Assistance, the punishment meted was laughable.

The WMSC decided that the punishment already handed down was sufficient. So now, for the low, low price of $100,000 any F1 team can issue team orders and alter the outcome of a race, and tick off myriad fans, and expect no more than a light flap on the wrist.

Typical.

******

Now, on to football. It's NFL Prediction time.

Last year the Saints "stunned the world" and "overcame Katrina" do win the Super Bowl. Honestly, and I feel sorry for those that lost so much during that time, but at some point you have to stop using a five-year-old storm as a prop for your city. Anyway, let's look at the divisions and the predicted order of finish. An asterisk beside a team name indicated predicted Wild Card team.

AFC North

Baltimore

Pittsburgh*

Cincinnati

Cleveland

AFC East

New England

New York Jets

Miami

Buffalo

AFC South

Indianapolis

Houston*

Tennessee

Jacksonville

AFC West

San Diego

Denver

Kansas City

Oakland

NFC North

Green Bay

Minnesota

Chicago

Detroit

NFC East

Dallas

Philadelphia*

New York Giants

Washington

NFC South

Atlanta

New Orleans*

Carolina

Tampa Bay

NFC West

San Francisco

Arizona

Seattle

St. Louis

So here's our playoff teams, in a predicted order of seeding.

AFC

1. Indianapolis

2. Baltimore

3. San Diego

4. New England

5. Houston

6. Pittsburgh

NFC

1. Atlanta

2. Green Bay

3. Dallas

4. San Francisco

5. Philadelphia

6. New Orleans

As you can see, we have some surprises. Yes, I think Atlanta can be the Number 1 seed in the NFC. The schedule is favorable, with 10 games in a dome, and all their toughest games seemingly at home. The other surprise is Houston. The Texans have never made the playoffs, but this seems like the year. Matt Schaub is a good quarterback, and Arian Foster looks like the real deal at running back.

So let's predict some conference title games.

AFC Championship

Indianapolis vs Baltimore

NFC Championship

Atlanta vs. New Orleans

The AFC Championship match is no surprise, but the NFC game might be. Atlanta and New Orleans play twice every year. Both times in domes. Why not a third time?

Super Bowl XLV

Atlanta vs Baltimore

The Super Bowl this year will be the battle of the birds. Atlanta's offense will be rather high powered by season's end. Baltimore has added multiple weapons on offense. The Raven's are known for their swarming defense. Atlanta has ayoung, up-and-coming defense. Should be a good game.

Some Notes on Football

Well, with the exception of the Boise State - Virginia Tech game that is in progress as of this writing, Week One of College Football is in the books. Seems then a good time to review the high and low points for each conference.

Big East:

High Point - Syracuse and South Florida win... big. South Florida's next game is Florida, which will be a big test for them. Syracuse probably won't be all that great for the rest of the year, but it only takes 6 wins to reach a bowl game.

Low Point - UConn and Pitt both lose. These are the flagship programs of this conference. UConn has been a program on the rise, but they ran into a revitalized Michigan squad Saturday. Pitt faltered on Thursday, setting a tone for this conference. By the way, Pitt was the #15 team in the nation. They lost to an unranked.

ACC:

High Point - Florida State comes out of the gate in a big way for Jimbo Fisher. All in all, so far, the ACC teams that should win have won.

Low Point - It could be argued that the low point is occurring as I type this, since VaTech has already given up 10 points to Boise, and the Broncos are driving yet again. But so far the low point is UNC, who lost multiple starters to suspension just before the game with LSU.

Big XII:

High Point - Oklahoma State swarmed out of the gate, demolishing poor Washington State 65-17.

Low Point - Kind of a dual low point for the conference. Oklahoma won, but they played very poorly, beating Utah State 31-24. The lowest point so far is the fact that North Dakota State took down Kansas 6-3.

Big Ten:

High Point - Michigan steamrolled UConn 30-10. The Wolverines were rededicating the Big House, and thi was a great way to do so.

Low Point - Illinois built a lead against Missouri that they were not able to hold. The Tigers came back in the second half to disappoint the Illini.

PAC-10:

High Point - Oregon's 72-point victory over New Mexico. The Ducks look like the team to beat in a top-heavy PAC-10.

Low Point - USC coming within a hair's width of losing to Hawaii. The Trojans, stifled under a two-year bowl ban, are playing for pride.

SEC:

High Point - This will definitely sound like a cheer for the home team, but Georgia played a great game in dismantling Louisiana-Lafayette 55-7. The new 3-4 Defense that Todd Grantham installed played great all day, Aaron Murray rocked at QB, as did back-up freshman Hutson Mason. And the kick coverage problems I worried about early in the game sorted themselves out.

Low Point - There are three low points for the SEC, sadly. These are not ranked in any particular order.

1. Florida's offense never once found a rhythm against Miami of Ohio. The Gators won, but it was not pretty.

2. LSU might have beat UNC, but they played a very sloppy game.

3. Lowest of all, though, is Ole Miss. The Rebels dropped a double overtime game 49-48... to Jacksonville State. Shame.

The Return of Football Future-see

Well, I'm sitting here with a vicious head cold. But it struck me the other day that the last time we did a Football Future-see addition was 2008. Of course, we did a bowl edition in 2009, but that's still the 2008 season. So let's bring back the Future-see. That year we went 57-22 over the course of a year.

Remember our rules for this little game. We pick five games a week, opening week is ten games, bow edition is ten games. We pick winner and loser, and just for fun, we give you a predicted score.

Let's get to the games.

21 LSU vs 18 UNC (Neutral Site) CORRECT

This is the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, played in the Georgia Dome. LSU is seemingly a team on the decline in the SEC West, and at the moment North Carolina is facing some possibly stiff penalties from the NCAA, and may be without several players. UNC's defense was supposed to be great, but that is unfortunately where most of their penalized players will come from.

Final Score: LSU 24, UNC 16

15 PITT at UTAH INCORRECT

Pitt is currently the front-runner to win the Big East this year, which is about like saying you're going to win the Tri-County Beauty Pageant. Utah is going to the PAC-10 next year, but this year they aren't even ranked, which is odd to some, but not unexpected in the world of college football. I mean, a couple years back they beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Final Score: PITT 28, Utah 20

ILLINOIS vs MISSOURI (Neutral Site) CORRECT

This is a state border rivalry, but it has a new undertone to it this year. Missouri wanted to join the Big Ten along with Nebraska. The Big Ten, though, skipped over Mizzou and took the prettier sister, Nebraska. So Missouri is now upset with the Big Ten, and guess which conference Illinois plays for.

Final Score: Missouri 30, Illinois 20

24 OREGON STATE vs 6 TCU (Neutral Site) CORRECT

This may turn out to be the biggest game of the weekend. Oregon State plays both TCU and Boise State this year, and I can't help but feel that they are going to win one of those games. The Beaver's RB, Jacquizz Rodgers, will rip up the Broncos, who are known more for their offense than defense. TCU, though, is a defensive ball club.

Final Score: TCU 24, Oregon State 21

UTAH STATE at 7 OKLAHOMA CORRECT

Let's be honest, this game probably won't be much of a challenge for Oklahoma, but then again, Appalachian State took down Michigan a few years back. Still, not likely.

Final Score: Oklahoma 54, Utah State 10

PURDUE at NOTRE DAME INCORRECT

Notre Dame, for the last few years, has been a trendy pick to win the national title, only to finish the year 7-6 or so each time. Notre Dame is also breaking in a new coach. Purdue may have a chance to take down the Irish, which is actually what I'll predict. Call it going out on a limb.

Final Score: Purdue 24, Notre Dame 20

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE at 16 GEORGIA TECH CORRECT

Georgia Tech starts the year in the top 20, but teams are learning how to defend Paul Johnson's option offense. The only thing is, for SC State, they've never even seen Paul Johnson's offense. Okay, maybe they have, it won't matter.

Final Score: Georgia Tech 56, SC State 14

MIAMI (OH) at 4 FLORIDA CORRECT

Just like Utah State and SC State, Miami of Ohio doesn't really stand much chance here. Florida will be breaking in a new QB, who although never having taken a meaningful snap, is somehow already being considered for the Heisman. I don't get it.

Final Score: Florida 63, Miami(OH) 17

LOUISANA-LAFAYETTE at 23 GEORGIA CORRECT

Georgia is in the same condition as Florida, breaking in a new QB. But Georgia's QB is a redshirt freshman, while Florida has at most two year service from Brantley. LA-Lafayette doesn't have much of a chance.

Final Score: Georgia 49, LA-Lafayette 14

3 BOISE STATE vs 10 VIRGINIA TECH (Neutral Site)

This is the big game of the week, Monday night, Fed-Ex Field. That means this is a virtual home game for VaTech, as Boise State's home field is over 2100 miles further from FedEx Field than Blacksburg. Boise State is needing to make a statement in this game, later in the season against Oregon State, and they'll have to decimate the WAC to play in the National Championship game. Sadly, we don't see it.

Final Score: Virginia Tech 28, Boise State 27

***UPDATE***

Well, Pitt has already cost us the chance at 10-0, as if that chance ever existed. But to be honest, I never make it easy on myself.

***UPDATE #2***

Through six games, I'm 4-2 on the picks. By the way, what happened to Ole Miss? How does an SEC school lose to Jacksonville State?

***UPDATE #3***

Alright, nine games in and the record stands at 7-2.