Dobbs Ready to Right the Shipmen

One of the most interesting match-ups that Bookmaker has missed this week is the match-up between the Navy Midshipmen and the Air Force Falcons. The Book with their geniuses that talk about setting the line set it wrong this week. Maybe I am getting a little bit cocky but after the past two weeks I think I have good reason hitting 8/8 games. I am not betting a whole lot but I am certainly seeing the mistakes the book is making this year and I would love to share this knowledge to help all out there just crush these sports books.

The Air Force Falcons with the nations top ranked rushing attack will take on their brother's in the armed services the boys from the Naval Academy. Usually these games don't interest me but this week it stands out. Air Force has been impressive this season so far while Navy has been lacking. The Falcons crushed departing Mountain West opponents BYU three weeks ago but not sure if that really meant a whole lot. The Cougars were barely able to defeat Washington at home while they were manhandled last week by a down Florida State team. The most impressive of all the Falcon games this year was actually a loss in Norman, Oklahoma to the highly ranked undefeated Oklahoma Sooners. Normally this would be a huge win but so far this season Oklahoma has been less than stellar with close wins over Utah State, the Falcons and the University of Cincinnati a team that is down after losing their head coach, starting QB, and top receiver from a year ago. Still the Sooners were barely able to hold off the Bearcats a team that was beaten handily in Fresno, California by the Fresno State Bulldogs. This past week the Falcons barely got by Wyoming. Now Wyoming is not a bad team but they are certainly not a great team that should lead an odds maker from making the Falcons 10.5 point favorites.

Meanwhile Navy has not looked too stellar this year. As a road favorite against the Maryland Terrapins in their opener the Midshipmen turned the ball over 4 times including late in the game while at the Maryland 1 yard line which could have delivered victory from the eventual jaws of defeat. In week 2 Navy could barely beat Football Bowl Subdivision squad Georgia Southern 13-6. I am assuming the odds makers are only looking at FBS rather than a historically strong FBS team with many championships in the past two decades. This past week the Midshipmen were sluggish in the first half of their game against Louisiana Tech trailing the Bulldogs by 7 at the break before dominating the 2nd half with a vaunted rushing attack. So right now the only difference between this game being a 3-4 point spread with top 20 ranked undefeated Navy team was one great play by Maryland in the 4th quarter to force a turnover one yard away from the unblemished record.

Well that one play is not enough for me to take the 10.5 points Bookmaker is so generously giving out. It's plenty of points for me to take considering this is an armed forced rivalry. It's also enough points considering the Air Force triple option wishbone attack is not going to surprise Naval defenders as it's an offense they face in practice every day. There will also be no slanting defenses by undersized lineman to surprise either squad as both teams are undersized on their lines and play slanted blocking schemes. This game should actually be one heck of a battle as a lot of pride is going to be on the line along with early bragging rights and the inside track to the Commander and Chief Trophy presented to the best armed forces school and the inside track to an automatic bowl berth in the Texas Bowl in Houston. In summary, there is a lot riding on this game.

In a tight game big impact players and home field can be the difference makers. The crowd will be pro-Air Force and the elevation in Colorado Springs will favor the Falcons but the conditioning of the Navy players should be able to offset some of the home field advantage. The difference between winning and losing might very well come down on one of the best quarterbacks to ever play at the Naval Academy since Roger Staubach. And for you young whipper snappers out there that are short on history Staubach won the Heisman Trophy for the Naval Academy back in the 60's before a short stint in the Navy followed up by two Super Bowl rings for the Dallas Cowboys and an induction into the Hall of Fame. Navy's QB Ricky Dobbs is not Roger the Dodger but he can make big plays and big time players make big plays in big games. Dobbs failed against Maryland but this game is his redemption. It's his chance to get his name thrown back into the Heisman talk. It's his chance to lead his team to the Commander and Chief Trophy as a Senior. It's not about covering or putting on a good show in Colorado Springs for Dobbs, it's about winning and when a team is geeked up to win a game and the oddsmakers are giving them ten points it means only one thing. The public doesn't believe enough in the underdog to bet on them unless they are getting a lot of points. In this case bet on the Midshipmen. Bet the Farm because not only will you keep the farm but you can get yourself a couple of nice new angus cows after Dobbs proves he is the best armed services leader in the collegiate ranks today.

The Philly Smokescrean

All along Kevin Kolb was a smoke screen. Kolb put up some nifty numbers in college at the University of Houston in Conference USA but C-USA is hardly The NFL. Kevin Kolb came into the league as a back-up to future Eagle Hall of Fame QB Donovan McNabb. McNabb was the leader in Philly for the most successful run in Eagle history. McNabb incurred a few injuries in the past few years which prompted upper management to look for his successor and when he came along the Eagles quietly picked up their future QB giving him substantially more than market value and naming the future of Philadelphia signal caller's to an unproven youngster out of Houston.

This week the smoke screen was cleared and early in the post McNabb era the heir to the QB position has finally been cleared. Cleared from anti-organizations who preferred to have a clean cut kid taking snaps as opposed to an ex-con. The ex-con and scourge of PETA Michael Vick the former overall #1 draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons has finally been named the starter.

For years Andy Reid loved McNabb. Wanted him so bad as his QB that he passed over fan favorite Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams in the 1999 NFL draft to select McNabb. McNabb proved to be the right selection and five times McNabb led the Eagles deep into the playoffs to the championship game and once to the Super Bowl. Despite the boo birds in Philadelphia McNabb was very successful and the most decorated QB in Eagle history. Move over Randall Cunningham, move over Ron Jaworski, McNabb is the all-time Eagle signal caller.

Now for Andy Reid to send McNabb packing for an unspectacular college player, and unproven professional he would have to be out of his mind to believe in Kolb more than McNabb. Vick tho8ugh is another story. Vick has the great pedigree (no offense PETA). Vick was a top pick. Vick was the first QB to ever lead his team to victory in historical Lambeau Stadium over the Packers in the playoffs. Vick was electrifying on the field. Vick has had very raw skills and bringing him into Philadelphia was not about giving the guy a job it was about grooming him to be the successor of McNabb. If Vick was just supposed to be a bench guy the Eagles would not have ponied up $5 million a year for a bench jockey. The Eagles organization had to play the fans with Kolb. What else were they supposed to do announce, "your 2010 Philadelphia Eagles starting QB ex-convict Michael Vick." Vick is not a blue collar guy in a blue collar town. Vick is a flashy, he's not a role model, he's not even Italian which is both politically correct and would make the hometown fans ecstatic. But much like in 1999 when Reid named McNabb his QB of the future; Andy Reid can groom a quarterback. Vick's got the raw talent and the intangibles to become a great one while Kolb appears to be fitting into his true position of back up QB.

Nice smoke screen Andy Reid. You got your guy and you brought him in at the right time and fans will forget Vick is an ex-con as long as he wins. A win against Jacksonville this weekend will ease the tension in Philadelphia. Even though I absolutely loathe was Michael Vick did to numerous dogs I can say he showed great remorse by giving so charitably to dog farms to rehabilitate the lovable animals he nearly was part of killing. We know Andy Reid is all about winning and winning will cure all but should Vick not win this is Reid's job on the line.

My advice to Michael Vick every touchdown you score whether throwing or passing you donate $5000 to an animal shelter. And every win you get as a starter you donate $10,000 to an animal shelter. It's not going to hurt his pocketbook and it will soothe a lot of rightful feelings people have towards Michael Vick. He may have served his time but he certainly is a role model or a saint. Vick is still on probation in many ways.

Hurricane Crossroads

Thursday night college football is a crossroads for both the University of Pittsburgh and the U. It's a much greater crossroads for the U. After all the University of Miami has a very rich recent history of winning national championships. On the big stage two weeks ago to prove they were back the Hurricanes were led by or not led by quarterback Jacory Harris who was victimized by 4 interceptions from the Buckeye defense. Many viewers of the game would argue that his receivers failed him and in reality they might not have looked back at the right time for the ball but as the field general Harris has to make sure his players are on the right page with him in the huddle. With all the headlines comes all the criticism.

If Miami is going to be considered an elite team they must go into Heinz Field tonight and defeat the Pitt Panthers. This will be no easy task. Pitt has a strong rushing attack led by All-American Deon Lewis, a strong defense, and tough home field advantage. Plus you throw in Thursday night prime time nationally televised game the Panthers and their crowd will be so up for this game. Meanwhile the Canes are considered the better team tonight by oddsmakers who have penciled them in as early 3.5 point favorites although the line has dropped to under a field goal. This means the Canes are the glory team. The Canes have the burners on offense, the big play guys on special teams and the defenders with panther like closing speed ready to pounce on their prey. So the pressure is on Jacory Harris, Randy Shannon, and the entire Hurricane squad. It's either perform tonight come up with a big win, arguably the biggest win for Randy Shannon in his short career as head coach or fall to the depths of under .500 and out of the top 25.

If Miami is going to win this game they must stop Deon Lewis. If the Cane defense can stymie Lewis. No easy task as he will be the best runner the Canes have faced all season including the #2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes who always have a rushing attack but without the talent of a Deon Lewis. The Canes also need to establish their own rushing attack. In their last game running back Damien Berry looked strong at times against Ohio State rushing for 94 yards on only 16 attempts at nearly 6 yards a clip. Berry will be needed to control the game as depending on Harris and the passing game is not wise considering 4 interceptions and numerous dropped passes from his very talented receivers. Miami cannot afford more turnovers on the road if they are going to win this big game.

If the Hurricanes are going to make amends for their performance at Ohio State it starts tonight. The Hurricanes will be nothing more than an afterthought with a loss tonight at Heinz Field and guys like Jacory Harris who appeared so promising last year with big games only to be throttled on the big stage will not be part of a rich and illustrious legacy in South Florida for which is coach Randy Shannon is a frustrated but highly decorated member in Cane history with two national titles. This game is about what Miami can do. If they cannot it could be Pitt that is the team on the rise.

Big Ten's Big Game

Tonight the Iowa Hawkeyes have an opportunity to prove themselves to be the real deal. They have an opportunity to make the rest of the country take notice that the Big Ten is a serious football conference. Forget the lofty rankings of Iowa #9, Wisconsin #12 and Michigan #20. Forget about Ohio State they are a staple in college football having been ranked in the top ten poll since Troy Smith was a junior in college. The rest of the Big Ten needs to prove themselves and tonight's game against Arizona on the road is not really a launching pad for the Iowa program but more of a not stumble block for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes are supposed to win according to the early forecasts which had Iowa as a -1.5 favorite heading into Tucson to face a potential ambush by the Wildcats. Iowa is a more physical team but not so much that they will just run over Arizona. Both teams have experienced strong quarterbacks in Nick Foles and Ricky Stanzi. Both teams possess solid position players and Iowa has a slight edge on the offensive line. Defensively Iowa has the star power but the Wildcats have experience on defense that is every bit as prolific than Iowa with the exception that they play a lot of night games on the West Coast after the bed time for east coast media voters.

On paper this game is as about as evenly matched as two teams could be. The difference is Iowa has the media support and the polls behind them as a top ten team. Arizona has something far more important when it comes to intangibles. They are playing at home. If I were a betting man, which I am I am betting on the Wildcats. So if Iowa is going to solidify their #9 ranking they will have to play over and above their own expectations because the talent is even, the home field is on the Cats side and it's time for Iowa to prove they are worthy of national attention on the gridiron.

Another factor to think about 2009. Iowa defeated the Wildcats 27-17 in Iowa City in a tough physical battle. This time there will be no corn on the menu in Tucson with home cooking in favor of Arizona.

Revenge Game

It's been 7 1/2 long years since that classic duel in the desert for the national championship of college football when Ohio State rained on what could have been a Hurricane dynasty. The Canes were loaded with NFL players from Heisman Trophy winner Ken Dorsey to Super Bowl Champion Jonathan Vilma on defense. The Canes also boasted the late All-Pro Sean Taylor, the highest paid receive in the NFL Andre Johnson, among many others playing on Sundays. The superstar for the Buckeyes was Maurice Clarett who is back in school after doing time in the state penitentiary in Toledo, Ohio. But than let's not forget many of those Buckeyes from Super Bowl winners Will Smith and Michael Doss were also on the Buckeye roster along with many future NFL players also. At the time though nobody saw the Buckeye players as on the same level as the Canes.

During the season of 2002, the norm was for the University of Miami to be stomping their competition while the Buckeyes struggled with the likes of Illinois, Purdue, and Northwestern. Meanwhile the Canes were going into places like Gainesville, Knoxville, and Morgantown and beating the crap out of top competition. The Canes has swagger and why not they had just won 33 straight games including the previous national championship is dominating fashion over Nebraska 37-14. This time the Canes were rolling into Tempe, Arizona as 11.5 point favorites over the Big Ten Champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

The thing about Ohio State was they were not intimidated. They had won all 13 of their games that season and whether they blew a team out like Texas Tech in their opening weekend or squeaked by with the "Holy Buckeye" made famous by Brent Musberger of ABC the fact is they won all 13 of their games. The Buckeyes relied on defense, the running game and most importantly special teams. Andy Groom the Buckeye punter would turn out to be one of the more important players on the field at Sun Devil Stadium in January of 2003 with his field changing punts with the exception of his last punt which was nearly taken back by Roscoe Parrish Miami's speedy receiver.

On this night though all the odds maker points in the world could not help the Canes. All of complaining after wards by Miami All-American tight end and his father an NFL Hall of Fame tight end was enough to stop what the Buckeyes did to the Canes in 2002. Quite literally the Buckeyes beat up the Canes. They beat them up and down the field physically. Miami record setting running back Willis McGahee would be carried off the field as a casualty of Buckeye brutality on this night. Heisman Trophy winner Ken Dorsey would be escorted from the field in overtime as he was savagely beaten by Matt middle linebacker Matt Wilhelm and the Buckeye defense.

This was a night when superstar safety Sean Taylor would intercept a pass in the end zone for the Canes only to be stripped by future inmate Clarett only a freshman in "02. This was a night when Andre Johnson was silenced by the superior play of fellow Sunday player Chris Gamble who starred on both offense and defense. The best catch of the night by Gamble was the one called out of bounds with just over a minute to go in the game and Miami with no time outs. Gamble's catch would have sealed the game but this was before instant replay and the officials missed the call. In the first overtime Ohio State showed why they were champions win or lose on 4th and 14 from the 24 yard line the Holy Buckeye combination of Craig Krentzel and Michael Jenkins produced another miraculous 4th down conversion this time against the star studded Canes not the Purdue Boilermakers.

This was a night where pass interference calls influenced the game. Both teams were recipients of pass interference calls in overtime. Ohio State wasted little time punching in for a touchdown on 2nd down behind the egg head Krentzel. The game was ultimately determined on the field in the end when it came down to lining up and hitting the other team in the mouth Ohio State did this with endless fury throughout the game and it was a microcosm of the game in the end.

First and goal for the Canes in the 2nd over time from the 1 yard line. Three times the Canes tried to punch it in for 7 to tie the game. Three times the Canes failed getting stuffed by Buckeye defenders. Getting stuffed by the 11.5 point underdogs. On 4th and goal Heisman winner Ken Dorsey meekly let loose of a pass that fell harmlessly to the ground as the Buckeyes were crowned national champions. After the game in the parking lot I was fortunate to speak with the few Cane fans in a sea of scarlett jubilation. Cane fans were not sour about the alleged pass interference which the Winslows called the Buckeyes cheaters but Cane fans were gracious in defeat as they knew their team was beaten up and down the field for four quarters.

So is this a revenge game? Maybe, just maybe that is what Jim Tressell the Ohio State coach is preaching this week. For all the hard work those Buckeyes put into the 2002 season, for all the players on that Ohio State team that would go onto success after wards on and off the field including Super Bowl titles. It has to burn deep in Buckeye pride that the Winslows and the national media had the gall to call those Buckeyes cheaters after the game plan they executed to near perfection in a perfect 14-0 season. It's time to put to rest "The Luckeyes stole the 2002 National Championship" talk.