Weekend Card (Sept 1st -2nd)

[Irish]

Hawaii (+15.5) over Alabama
The rainbow warriors are not the best traveling team to say the least. This is not a good thing considering Alabama is not a very easy place to play. Still the Warriors come in to this contest with a much improved defense and solid offense.O-LINE returns 3 starters (2 All-WAC performers center Samson Satele and tackle Tala Esera). The offensive line is good BUT only in pass blocking. These boys do not like opening holes in the running game. Throwing the ball is Colt Brennan and this kid has all the good to thrive in this system. A very strong arm, pocket presence, mobility and toughness. The June Jones system will be tough for Bama to contend with in coverage. Bess and Mullin should have too much speed add in a few other speedsters and this WR is very dangerous. Colt Brennan knows this offense and his WR will get open and open quickly, this is important because a hostile BAMA crowd will be motivating the defense. Kines has to use some new starters FS Jeffrey Dukes, LB Terrence Jones and DE Bobby Greenwood. This defense is athletic but inexperienced. Safeties Roman Harper and Charlie Peprah along with starting corner Anthony Madison are gone. This means a lot of questions in the secondary going against a very complex system in Hawaii. The CB and Safeties have to be ready for it and the inexperience might show in this department. Castille will have his work cut out trying to get this secondary comparable to last years group. The D-line was great at stopping the run but lack of power in this group made it hard to get to QB's. The linebacking corps to take a step back after losing the combined 142 tackles of DeMeco Ryans and Freddie Roach. Juwan Simpson is going to be called upon to lead this unit and lead the defense. IMO the complexity of the Hawaii passing game is enough to get blow coverages and some big plays down field. Not saying they will pass at will but they will have some openings to move the chains. This offense will look to move the ball and keep possession so the defense isn't called upon to win games. Glanville gets another shot working with this defense. This group has speed enough to cover but WILL get run over. They lack interior size and if Bama get into the secondary and day it will be a problem. Solomen Elimimian will be around the ball all day from his backer spot and Peters at FS should be in the mix. C.J. Allen Jones has to live up to his hype, he is an extremely fast linebacker and should be big this year after missing last season with an injury. Add in LB Leonard and the LB corp will be good but not great and they should be in for a battle against a strong Bama line. The speed on LB will need to blitz to help out DE Purcell the best option for a pass Rush that Hawaii has. If the Warriors drop in coverage all day they will get zero pressure but I don't think Glanville will have that in mind for this young untested QB. IMO Darby will be the big player for Bama in thid game. The lack of size on Hawaii defensive line is a problem because the O-line of Bama has come together and should over power the front group. The overall depth of the O-line is not good but they will not need it in this contest, the starting 5 will do just fine. Bama QB is a good mobile and strong armed but he is only a sophomore and might be a little amped up in his first start. This kid will be a gamer, he was good in a very solid highschool program and he should be productive at bama but it is early in his career. Bama has enough on offense to make some noise this season. However IMO the defense will be good but not great and Hawaii will be able to score. The Bama offense will be good and not great and I think Glanville stacks the box and forced the young QB to prove himself. Should be a nice gameplan for Hawaii and going with the chalk in this game, considering how much reloading bama has to do and the potential of the Hawaii offense.

Cheers
Irish

 

[taoist]

...you and I sure seem to be on the same page for week one. best of luck, buddy.

 

[Irish]

Nevada (+12) over Fresno
The Pistol goes into the Valley, which is not a friendly place to play. Still Rowe and his receivers are very talented and this passing attack should be moving the ball with a lot of success. If the Bulldogs drop into coverage I expect to see Rowe having a big game scrambling. Being in the modified shotgun Rowe can see what the defense is trying to do and adapt accordingly which will help him exploit the defense. The Fresno State defense led the WAC in every appreciable category last year. They lose 3 players from that squad and are looking to have a hard hitting fast defense again. The bulldogs are fast and aggressive and have problems with giving up yards rushing but considering Nevada?s poor rushing attack Fresno should be tough. The front seven on Nevada are good and they can stop the run as well and cover the pass, after the front seven it gets a little dodgy. Nevada will struggle in pass coverage and is looking for the front seven to get pressure as well as cover which is a very tough thing to do. Still in the secondary Nevada has some play makers they just struggle in coverage systems, individually they can make big plays happen. Trouble for the Nevada defense is the O-line for Fresno, they are big and very good at blocking. The receivers for the bulldogs are also play makers which hurts Nevada on the defensive side. There is still a question mark at QB because Fresno will look to Bandstater. He is a sophomore and saw limited action last year. He is very mobile for a QB and that is due to playing in the secondary in high school. He is very raw and he is Nevada?s best shot at an upset. The wolfpack must get pressure on him and force him into poor plays, the lack of experience and overall want to make huge plays should put him in positions to make big mistakes. The running game is also not well known but Hill is known for getting a lot out of his backs. Still the leadership and mobility of Rowe is going to make the Nevada team a tough out. IMO he can direct the offense into the redzone and his scrambling ability should make for some nice playaction QB keeper TD?s. I am looking for both teams to come out fired up but Hill has to change his game plan not to put his QB in a bad position where Nevada knows what they can do and will press things more. In the end with the Nevada offense and how they clicked last season I like the points.

Taoist - great minds think a like

Cheers
Irish

 

[Irish]

Small play NEVADA (ML)

NEV/FRES OVER (55.5)
Nevada won the last meeting between the two teams, turning in a 38-35 victory on Nov. 26, 2005 at Mackay Stadium in Reno

Cheers
Irish

 

[Irish]

ND (-7) over GT

Tough game to call, GT has a great offense and defense, ND is solid on offense and has some solid players on defense. Still this play is based on Charlie Wies having a lot of time to prepare and that is dangerous. Ball and Johnson are sick and they will be tough all season long, but Wies and Quinn will have an offensive gameplan that will keep the defense guessing. I am not sold on the ND defense but I would be surprised to see big improvements in the speed department considering Wies worked them in agility most of the off season. Big o-line will open holes but the quickness of GT will fill, so it is going to be a great game but I simple believe that Wies is a better coach and his players know his system more and can take the next step. Considering this is at GT, it is a smaller play than normal.

Cheers
Irish

 

[3 Seconds]

With ya on the Rainbows....

Good Luck Irish!

 

[Irish]

Nevada (+7) over Fresno 2H

Considering the wolfpack offense played terribly in the first IMO they rebound. There have been recievers open and Rowe needs to get his head out his arse. Ault should have some big half time adjustments and I think they go to the air more. Fresno has been running the ball with ease but I haven't seen the young QB go deep yet and I think the halttime adjustments will focud on stopping the run and getting more pressure. Still looking for Rowe to play better in the second and they get the ball to start.

Cheers
Irish

 

[Irish]

Pitt (-3.5) over UVA
The Cavs lost a ton of talent on both sides of the ball and they travel into a hungry Pitt team looking to put last year behind them. Palko will lead the panthers behind an very experienced line. This lefty QB is very good and had a tough time adapting to Wandsted system, but more time under it should make him better in the production department. The Panthers have a hard nosed running back but it is hard to say if he is going to be something special. The Pitt secondary should be among the Big East's most productive also the linebacking corps should do its part with H.B. Blades sure to be one of the nation's top tacklers in the middle and Clint Session and Brian Bennett returning healthy. This unit will be going against a very untested group from UVA. Olsen and Snelling are new faces and the O-line has some very big holes to fill. The UVA defense is fast but undersized and the big o-line of pitt should be able to lean on them all game and get something late because of fatigue. The 3-4 is going to hurt UVA against pitt because they will have to commit more LB?s to the run and the more aggressive the WhaHoos are the better Palko can work playaction. Still I like the hard nosed team Pitt will put on the field, they will have a workmen like attitude and they should push UVA around on the lines. The lack of playing time for the skilled positions at UVA also is good in this game because they are in a tough environment and the panthers will generate pressure and force mistakes. Would like to see the panthers establish the run and get UVA in the box then use the pass, because even though the panthers do not have a lot of talent at WR they have enough for some big plays and Palko can make the throws. I don?t think the UVA defense will get enough pressure on Palko to make him scramble and make mistakes, against a better defense I would question Palkos decision making but with the loses for UVA he should be comfortable in the pocket.

Cheers
Irish

 

[RexBudler]

Looks like a solid Saturday. Gl to you buddy

 

[RAYMOND]

make money

 

[rubiconed]

Thanks Irish ... GL today ...

 

[c20916]

Pitt (-3.5) over UVA
The Cavs lost a ton of talent on both sides of the ball and they travel into a hungry Pitt team looking to put last year behind them. Palko will lead the panthers behind an very experienced line. This lefty QB is very good and had a tough time adapting to Wandsted system, but more time under it should make him better in the production department. The Panthers have a hard nosed running back but it is hard to say if he is going to be something special. The Pitt secondary should be among the Big East's most productive also the linebacking corps should do its part with H.B. Blades sure to be one of the nation's top tacklers in the middle and Clint Session and Brian Bennett returning healthy. This unit will be going against a very untested group from UVA. Olsen and Snelling are new faces and the O-line has some very big holes to fill. The UVA defense is fast but undersized and the big o-line of pitt should be able to lean on them all game and get something late because of fatigue. The 3-4 is going to hurt UVA against pitt because they will have to commit more LB?s to the run and the more aggressive the WhaHoos are the better Palko can work playaction. Still I like the hard nosed team Pitt will put on the field, they will have a workmen like attitude and they should push UVA around on the lines. The lack of playing time for the skilled positions at UVA also is good in this game because they are in a tough environment and the panthers will generate pressure and force mistakes. Would like to see the panthers establish the run and get UVA in the box then use the pass, because even though the panthers do not have a lot of talent at WR they have enough for some big plays and Palko can make the throws. I don?t think the UVA defense will get enough pressure on Palko to make him scramble and make mistakes, against a better defense I would question Palkos decision making but with the loses for UVA he should be comfortable in the pocket.

Cheers
Irish

Good luck with your play, but you always need to consider the Wannstedt factor, he might be the worst coach ever :nono:

 

[Irish]

No. Ill (+17) over Ohio St
No. Ill is coming into this game with something to prove The Huskies were the 16th rated offense last season but they lose to solid wideouts from that team. Young players will have to step up in order for this team to be a powerhouse on offense again.. Expect Britt Davis to be one of the young guys to play well, he is a gamer and has great hands; a bit raw but will make a name for himself this season. Leading the offense is Phil Horvath, he is back from a broken arm late last season and looking to make his senior year count. He is a big strong kid with a good arm and field vision, many times he checks off deep route to hit under routes to move the chains. Then there is a very talented RB in Garrett Wolfe who will find open space during this game. It will be important for No. Ill to reload after losing some O-linemen last year but they have the talent to put together a solid unit. Leading the way on that line are the tackles that are considered by many and one of the best tandems in the division if not more. I expect the offense of No. Ill to mix up the offense with run and pass to get the young Ohio st players on defense reacting on playaction. The offense of No. Ill can be a factor because OSU is replacing a lot of players on defense and the lost D?Andrea the other day. There is not a lot of leadership in this group and IMO the huskies can be productive moving the ball running and passing. The key is to mix the run and pass and get LB?s and Safeties keying on Wolfe the Horvath making a big play deep. On Defense the Huskies have decent bookends but lack overall size and the big state line should be able to lean on them and make them pay late in the game running the ball. English will have his work cut out for himself against OSU QB scrambles and option plays, still the D-line speed should be able to contain if nothing else. No. Ill will have a nice advantage in they can play man coverage and add more men into blitz packages because they have a very good secondary. Weakness at Linebacker where the players are ok but nothing spectacular, would be nice to see them step up in this game. OSU has the offense to give the huskies problems all day. A lot has been written about the OSU offense with Ginn, Smith, Pittman and O-line big boys. There is no weakness in the OSU offense and they should move the ball on No.Ill without much resistance. The Huskies need to limit the big plays and force a few 3 and outs in order to get their offense back on the field. The best defense for No. Ill is to keep the ball out of the OSU offense by being productive on Offense themselves. Important for the huskies to play tough early and take the crowd out of the game. Do not let OSU gain momentum with big plays. OSU typically struggle to open a season because they buy into the hype and No. Ill has the team to come in unexpected and stay with them. I like the points because even if OSU hammers them early, the huskies won?t quit. The huskies should have enough to stay with them during this game.

C20916-- I know he is a bad coach but he is a steel town guy and he will not allow khis team to disgrace his area two years in a row.

Thanks for the support guys - much appreciated

Cheers
Irish

 

[DeadPrez]

nice looking card Irish

I'm on the other side w/ Ga Tech but good luck w/ everything today

 

[Hokie Fan]

Irish,
You must be in the minority... Irish in WV???
Regardless.. I have all your picks circled...
I agreed with all of em....

Good Luck (for both of us..)

 

[Irish]

Mich (-27) over Vandy
Too much talent on offense and defense to allow Vandy to keep this close. Vandy was built around Cutler last year and this team will be a shell of what is was in form of competition. Michigan has a new offensive Co that has not change the playbook but rather the conditioning of the team. The Michigan line has gotten stronger and quicker which is a good thing for RB Hart. Henne will have time all day and he will be looking for Breston to spead the field. I expect the Mich defense to get a bit more aggressive after last year trying not to get beat and ending up not playing well. There is a lot of talent on the defense and it should be a very fast and hard hitting bunch. LB's are a bit unproven but there is enough skill for 1 or 2 players to make a name this season. This is more a play because Carr wants to open Michigan up and show last year is behind him and they are playing a team thats rebuilding and reloading and do not have the playmakers to stay in the game. Also the big house crowd should motivate the Wolverines and get them all over Vandy's offense.

Small play
Texas (-41) over NT
The front seven for Texas will shut down the NT offense, it is a small play because I am unaware of what the freshman QBs will do. I know the coaching staff is high on both and they will get it done but game speed is a different monster. Lucky for them they will go against a very poor NT defense and will have time to make plays if they are capibale of doing so.

Hokie... College...athletic Scholarship and Job brought me to the area, but I was Born in Boston and the elders are from the Isle.

Cheers
Irish

 

[Irish]

Auburn (-14.5) over Washington ST
Brink struggled last year and lost his job to Swogger who is now gone. He does have a ton of potential and there is a lot on his shoulders. He will be expected to carry the offense with his running back is unproven and the line good but not great. A lot of questions for Washington traveling across country and playing in a very hostile place. The defense has talent pepper in but over all they lack toughness and Pac 10 shoot outs will occur against this squad. Auburn lost some players on the o-line but the word is this group has a lot of talent and should allow Irons running room all over defenses. The offense averaged 32.3 points per game last year. Still they lost consistency toward the end of the season, something they hope to regain at home to start. Cox, Irons a strong WR corp and solid TE will make offensive production easy if this team comes together. The D is stronger on the outside than the middle with tremendous tackling corners. Pass rushing wasn?t a problem last year and they should get to the QB more this year. The key is replacing FS, because star safety Herring will now be at Linebacker. Still this tigers teams has speed an power and should be one of the better units this season. There is too much talent on Auburn for Washington and considering the cougars are coming cross country and going into a very tough environment I see the tigers coming to play aggressively and making a lot happen

Indiana (-6) over W. Mich
Powers and a solid Wide receiver group should lead the Hoosiers to a victory in their home opener. IU doesn?t have a great o-line or running back but they have enough talent at both to protect Powers and give him time to throw. His throwing ability will make it easier for unproven running backs to get yardage on the ground. The Indiana defense has skill in the secondary position but they need to replace players in the front seven and they haven?t seen a lot of playmaking ability in those replacements. W. Mich will be hard pressed returning some studs on offense. They do have a very good o-line and solid QB but they just have to prove a lot in the skill positions. No matter how long you give a QB if his receivers can?t get open the QB is going to get sacked. 9 starters on defense return to a good unit from last season. Still this W. Mich team lacks size and power up front and Powers will have more time than expected. This should be a close game but IU has a nice home field advantage and enough talent to get it done on offense. I think both teams will be productive but the Hoosiers will be more so and the toughness of the Indiana defense will surprise some people, they will hit hard

Looking at
WVU/Marshall
Oregon/Stanford
Cal/Tenn

Cheers
Irish

 

[Irish]

Oregon (-12) over Stanford
This is a scary play because Stanford is much improved with a very good QB and a coach that has players he feels fit his game plan. Still the ducks went to Stanford last year and beat them by 20. Saying that I believe Clemens was the QB and the offense was running on all cylinders. This Duck offense should have a strong O-line and a VERY mobil QB Dixon but they lack a true break out WR and look to Stewart to run the ball. IMO Stweart is a very capable back and Oregon expects a lot out of him and with this o-line he should be up to task. Colvin and Finley should be the WR?s to step up and in this offense they should thrive and put up big numbers. Defense has always been a problem for Oregon and that trend should continue, the ducks will look to out score teams rather than stop teams and they have the offense to do this. Still the defense does have some talent, mostly at safety but they can make a play here and there just no frequently enough to be considered a good unit. The D will shift between a 4-3 and a 3-4 depending on the situation, but going with four linebackers will probably be the way to go with a shaky group up front. Stanford has Edwards and a very good O-line but in this track meet I am not sure Stanford has the sprinters or endurance to keep up. Considering the Stanford defense is weak rushing the passer and in coverage the Duck passing game should be enough to beat this team. Also Oregon plays very well at home and teams coming into the Ducks house struggle with the energy. I would like to see the ducks start with a few big plays, the Stanford down and use the crowds energy to continue producing. Dixon should keep the chains moving and Edwards off the field and that is the best plan in this game. Also I like Dixon in this system his ability to scramble and make plays is much like White (WVU) or Young (last season at Texas- not as good though). Big passing plays, and the O-line making a lot of room for Stewart, who should have a big game.

Cheers
Irish

 

[Irish]

WVU (-22) over Marshall
West Virginia has been given the benefit of a lot of hype this preseason. Still they have a lot of speed and talent on this WVU squad. The O-line is very big and very strong and Fullback Schmitt will clear the road for short yardage and open lanes both on short yardage and break away. White and Slayton, not to much to say because they have been outlined in pretty much everything written about WVU. However Marshall played poorly last season and this is not the place a bad team wants to go. Last year Utep, VT and Memphis hammered this hurd team and they will be in for a hard game Saturday. Marshall will struggle to replace starters on defense and on offense they will look to Bradshaw to move the chain. This isn?t good because the WVU defense will stack the box and almost completely shut the heard down. All in all this WVU team has way too much talent and speed for the Marshall defense to compete against. Yes this will be considered a rivalry but it truly isn?t and IMO WVU will over power this squad. Granted if WVU looks past Marshall this chalk gets scary but Coach Rod should have his boys focused and ready and Marshall will be in for a long day. The WVU defense can score fast and the Marshall defense will be looking at too many 3 and outs to be involved in this contest. Still I would like to see WVU use its passing game and get Myles involved. The WVU passing attack is good but not great and if they can mix up pass and run the Marshall defense will not be able to stop them. Marshall will be 9 in the box and White will have the opportunity to pass with ease and he has to take advantage. On this game being home, with so much talent if WVU executes its game plan I see Marshall in for a long afternoon. In the mixed showers and windy conditions the WVU running game should be unaffected. It is a lot of chalk but still WVU comes out hot.

Michigan is terrible and I will have to up my pint consumption to watch that team on offense.:SIB

Chers
Irish

 

[Irish]

Tenn (+3) over Cal
New Offensive co should bring back the old offensive production Tenn is used to. LB's are a question forTenn but the Cal line has a lot more questions. Tenn has lost home field advantage over the years and Fulmer is not a good coach but the assistants should make a difference this season. IMO the secondary for Tenn is good enough to limit Cal and the O-line for the Vols should open holes for unproven running backs. Need one of the unproven kids to step up.

Texas Tech (-25) over SMU
Just a play on the QB that should have started last year but got hurt going against a very poor defense. TT will pass all day on the mustages and over the past few years the TT defense has started to be more hard nosed. I think TT will come out and light up the skies in their home stadium. They play very well at home and should gain confidence with each play.

Looking at one more late night had too many pint plays

Cheers
Irish