NFL Week 8 Preview and Predictions

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan will look to help his team improve to 7-0 on Sunday against the Eagles. (Kevin C. Cox)

5. Seattle Seahawks (4-3) @ Detroit Lions (2-4) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

This is a crucial game for both teams in terms of the playoff hunt. The Seahawks will need to play better on the road. They have just a 1-3 road record and have turned the ball over at a higher rate. They will look to bounce back from a tough divisional loss to the San Francisco 49ers 13-6 last week. With the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals both in the NFC West playoff hunt, every win becomes important, especially conference ones. The Seahawks need to find an effective balance between rookie quarterback Russell Wilson and lead running back Marshawn Lynch.

The Lions really need to start winning football games if they hope to return to the playoffs. Of the 208 teams that have started 2-4, only 18 of them have made the playoffs. It begins with their offense. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has to be smart with the football. He will have to do without one of his top weapons. Wide receiver Nate Burleson is out for the year after suffering a leg fracture. This puts more of the pressure on top receiver Calvin Johnson. The Lions will also need wide receivers Titus Young and Ryan Broyles and tight end Tony Scheffler to step up their games to help fill the void.

Prediction: Seahawks 17 Lions 13

4. Miami Dolphins (3-3) @ New York Jets (3-4) - 1:00 PM EST, CBS

There is still some bad blood in this matchup stemming from their first meeting five weeks ago, which the Jets won on a field goal in overtime. That game was marred by injuries and brash words exchanged through the media. With the season reaching the midway point, both teams are in need of a win to remain in the playoff picture.

The Dolphins offense is centered upon the explosive capabilities of running back Reggie Bush. He is a game-changer, who makes defenses adjust to try and contain him. Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill is coming off one of the best games of his young career (21-of-29, 2 touchdowns) last week against the St. Louis Rams. He will  need to keep that success going the Jets.

The Jets will look to rebound from a tough loss to the New England Patriots last week in overtime. The loss put them below .500, a place they can't remain long if they hope to make the playoffs. Quarterback Matt Sanchez needs to continue to work on his accuracy and consistency. With Santonio Holmes out for the season with a Lisfranc foot injury, Jeremy Kerley has emerged as Sanchez's top target. The Jets will look to utilize his speed in both the passing and return game.

Prediction: Jets 20 Dolphins 17

3. Washington Redskins (3-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III played very well last week and had his team in a position to upset Eli Manning and the New York Giants. Griffin's targets vary week-to-week, but he has been adjusting well to meet the needs accordingly. Rookie running back Alfred Morris is coming off a strong game as well. He rush for 120 yards on just 22 carries. The team as a whole will have to play well to knock off the Steelers.

Speaking of the Steelers, they are coming off a much needed win over the Bengals on Sunday night in Cincinnati. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will need to continue to play well and to make wise decisions. The Steelers benefited last week from a young running backs. Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 122 yards on just 17 carries. Rookie Chris Rainey had a late touchdown run to help the Steelers gain the victory last week. The defense will need to continue to step up its play with important players missing due to injuries.

Prediction: Steelers 24 Redskins 23

2. New York Giants (5-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-3) - 4:25 PM EST, FOX

Anytime the Giants and Cowboys square off it seems like there is a lot on the line. While the Cowboys beat the Giants 24-17 in the season opener, the Giants have been the superior team ever since. The Giants will look to win their fourth game in a row behind the strong play of quarterback Eli Manning. The health of running back Ahmad Bradshaw could play a significant role on the outcome. He is currently listed as questionable for Sunday's game. On defense, the Giants have found that they will need other players to fill in for safety Kenny Phillips and defensive tackle Rocky Bernard, who have both been ruled out due to injury.

The Cowboys will look to find consistency. Quarterback Tony Romo has had ups-and-downs and will need to limit the turnovers against the Giants. Top wide receiver Dez Bryant was pretty much a non-factor in their win last week over the Carolina Panthers. The Cowboys will need him to step up and play a much stronger, especially since starting running back DeMarco Murray is out with a foot injury.

Prediction: Giants 27 Cowboys 24

1. Atlanta Falcons (6-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX

Both the Falcons and Eagles come into this Sunday's matchup off a bye week. The Falcons worked on tweaking their problems, but those seem to be pretty minor when one considers that they are the last undefeated team in the NFL. Quarterback Matt Ryan has played very well, but needs to continue to work on limiting his turnovers. Wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White and tight end Tony Gonzalez will likely be some of Ryan's top targets.

The Eagles usually come out very strong following a bye week. Under Andy Reid, they are 13-0 in games immediately following a bye week, the longest such streak since the bye week was established in 1990. Coming in off of back-to-back losses, the Eagles will look to make that a reality once again. Quarterback Michael Vick's turnovers have been hurting this team, but this team must do all that it can to protect him from endangering situations. The Eagles defense will also try to find its feet following the firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo on October 16.

Prediction: Falcons 27 Eagles 17

College Football Week 9 Preview and Predictions

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o will have to lead  the Fighting Irish as they look to stop Oklahoma. ( Matt Cashore)

5. #22 Michigan (5-2) @ Nebraska (5-2) - 8:00 PM EST, ESPN2/WatchESPN

This is a huge Legends Division matchup with important Big Ten and ultimately Rose Bowl implications. Nebraska's offense that leads the Big Ten in rushing (279.0 yards per game) and scoring (41.6 points per game) will go up against the Big Ten's top defense in the Michigan Wolverines. This game also features two of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Michigan's Denard Robinson. I believe that whichever quarterback is able to make the imperative plays will likely win the football game.

Prediction: Michigan 24 Nebraska 20

4. #14 Texas Tech (6-1) @ #3 Kansas State (7-0) - 3:30 PM EST, FOX

West Virginia looked like the cream of the crop in the Big 12 early in the season. Two weeks ago, the Mountaineers were blown out at Texas Tech. They returned last week to host Kansas State, but were blown out again. Now, the Red Raiders and Wildcats are among the favorites to win the Big 12. The two sides square off on Saturday. Texas Tech's senior quarterback Seth Doege has improved drastically over the course of the season. His counterpart, Kansas State's Collin Klein. After scoring a combined seven touchdowns against the Mountaineers last weekend, he has emerged as the Heisman favorite.

Prediction: Kansas State 34 Texas Tech 24

3. #11 Mississippi State (7-0) @ #1 Alabama (7-0) - 8:30 PM EST, ESPN/Watch ESPN

While this may be a matchup of unbeatens, most experts are predicting it will be another blowout win for Alabama. The nation's top ranked team boasts a steady offense and rock solid on defense as well. The Crimson Tide should be able to use their huge advantage in the trenches to affect their play on both sides of the football. Mississippi State will need a nearly perfect game out of junior quarterback Tyler Russell have a shot at pulling the upset. On the season, he has a 15-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Russell will look to continue that trend against the Crimson Tide defense on Saturday. He must quick reads, wise decisions, and be able to deliver the big play when needed.

Prediction: Alabama 38 Mississippi State 10

2. #2 Florida (7-0) vs. # 10 Georgia (6-1) - 3:30 PM EST, CBS

This game has big SEC championship game and BCS bowl implications. If Florida beats Georgia, they are in the SEC championship game for the first time since 2009. A Georgia win would mean that the Bulldogs completely control the SEC East. Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel and senior running back Mike Gillislee lead the way for the Gators explosive offense. The Bulldogs will be led on defense by junior outside linebacker Jarvis Jones. He is coming off an ankle injury, but is one of the best in the nation when fully healthy. On offense, junior quarterback Aaron Murray must be wise with the football and limit his mistakes.

Prediction: Florida 30 Georgia 24

1. #5 Notre Dame (7-0) @ #8 Oklahoma (5-1)- 8:00 PM EST, ABC

Notre Dame is undefeated this late in the season for the first time in a decade, but they definitely know there is still more work to be done in order for them to remain as  a BCS contender. One cannot talk about the Fighting Irish without mentioning their leader and one of the best players in all of college football, senior linebacker Manti Te'o. On offense, they expect to have sophomore quarterback Everett Golson back from injury and ready to start. He will be aided by a superb trio of running backs in Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood and George Atkinson III. Oklahoma uses a balanced offense to bring about success. Senior quarterback Landry Jones has looked much more comfortable as a passer recently. The Sooners also like to power rush the football. Their two main weapons here are junior tailback Damien Williams and sophomore quarterback Blake Bell.

Prediction: Notre Dame 24 Oklahoma 20

Wiggins Becomes Top Recruit in Class of 2013

Andrew Wiggins becomes top recruit in Class of 2013 after he reclassified from the Class of 2014. (Sam Forencich)

Yesterday, Andrew Wiggins was the top college basketball recruit in the Class of 2014. Today, he no longer is following a drastic decision to reclassify to join this year's Class of 2013. Wiggins doesn't suffer any decline though as he supplants Jabari Parker as the new No. 1 in his new class.

"It's time for him (to show) that he is the best in college right now. I think he is ready for the next step. Academically wise, he is doing great. Maturity wise, he is doing great. He has a lot of talent. He is ready for the next step, and everybody knows it is time. It is Andrew's time. Next year is coming soon and he is ready," stated Mitchell Wiggins, Andrew's father.

There's no doubt that the talent is there. Wiggins was undoubtedly the best player at the LeBron James Skills Academy last summer. He is deeply skilled, able to score in bunches, and has very promising potential. Check out highlights of what he did this past summer at the LJSA.

At 6-7, Wiggins has tremendous athleticism and size. He has the ability to score from anywhere on the court and has demonstrated a consistent perimeter game. His long term potential should not be overlooked either. Needless to say, the move to this year's recruitment class has college basketball powerhouses buzzing.

Kentucky seems to be a frontrunner for every top recruit. Their Class of 2013 already includes commits from the Harrison twins (#3 and #4), small forward James Young (#10), and center Marcus Lee (#39). A pair of power forwards, Julius Randle (#5) and Aaron Gordon (#6), are also reportedly very interested in playing for the Wildcats.

Florida State is the other favorite to land Wiggins. Andrew's father played there. With an up-and-coming ACC program, the Seminoles will at least intrigue Wiggins to a degree. UNC, Kansas, and Ohio State are reportedly going to start pursuing beginning next week.

Wiggins has the talent and potential to change the face of college basketball and the NBA not too far down the road. ESPN's Paul Biancardi went as far to say that he is the best perimeter prospect since LeBron James. One NBA executive stated he believes Wiggins will be the top pick in the 2014 NBA draft and will start his rookie season. Obviously, people believe in the potential and abilities the Canadian possesses. Now, the only decision that remains to be seen is where he will be playing his college ball at next fall.

Sandoval's Historic Performance Gives Giants Momentum

Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval's historic three-homer performance could be the crucial series changer. (Doug Pensinger)

Very few people gave the San Francisco Giants much of a chance in the World Series prior to it's beginning. Even fewer gave them any hope of winning Game 1 with Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander on the mound.

"A Tigers sweep is likely," a knowledgeable baseball source told me this afternoon. I shook my head. These Giants never lay down and give up. They fought back and beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS. Why couldn't they at least battle in the World Series?

As it turns out, there was one Giants player who particularly believed in his team and wanted to show it right away. Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs in his first three at-bats of Game 1, including two off of Verlander.

Sandoval became just the fourth player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a World Series game, joining legends Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols. The fact that two of the homers came off Verlander make the performance even more incredible.

In the first inning, Sandoval got an 0-2 fastball that was elevated from Verlander. However, he managed to get his bat up to it and cranked out a line drive 421 feet to center. How unlikely was this home run? According to ESPN, Verlander had not given up a 0-2 home run all season and only four in his entire career.

Sandoval's second plate appearance came in the third inning. After giving up a second run, Verlander threw two changeups in the dirt to Sandoval. This brought Tigers pitching coach Jeff Jones out for a quick mound visit. Verlander's next pitch was a fastball on the outside corner. Sandoval connected and drove it just into the left field bleachers. His opposite-field power was on full display.

In the fifth inning, Sandoval now faced Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque. The 1-1 slider was almost in the dirt, but Sandoval decided to swing. He golfed into a beautiful arching homer into the center field crowd. Later on, Sandoval did add a single to finish the Giants 8-3 win 4-for-4 with three homers and four RBIs.

One of the amazing things about Sandoval's performance is none of the pitches his home runs came off were bad pitches. In fact, two of the three pitchers were out of the strike zone. The homers were simply pure strokes of genius by the man they call Kung Fu Panda.

With a performance like this and the fact that Giants are still at home, momentum is fully with the hosts. Their rolling offense will look to keep their strong play going against the Tigers' Doug Fister. The Giants will look to get starter Madison Bumgarner going. The lefty has struggled this postseason, but claims to be ready to turn things around when it matters most.

If the Giants go on to win the World Series, we will know that Sandoval's performance played a significant role in the outcome. What is certain is that folks will be talking about Kung Fu Panda's incredible night of work for a very long time.

World Series Game 1 Preview and Prediction

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander has waited eight days to make his World Series Game 1 start. (Danny Moloshok)

World Series Game 1 - Detroit Tigers @ San Francisco Giants
Wednesday October 24 - 8:00 PM EST, FOX

Starting Pitchers

Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers - Verlander is the best pitcher in baseball. I don't care what anyone else has to say. He is capable of getting it done in different ways. In his two playoff starts against the Oakland Athletics, he struck out 11 batters in both games. However, when he faced the New York Yankees in the ALCS, he only stuck out three. Verlander rarely has a bad outing and seems to always last deep into ball games to help out his far from rock solid bullpen.

Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants - Zito has been around baseball for a long time. His tumultuous ups-and-downs are well known among baseball fans and experts alike. Zito is ten years removed from his Cy Young campaign, but he is pitching like his vintage self as of late. In a must-win Game 5 of the NLCS, Zito came out and threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings, shutting down a previously red hot St. Louis Cardinals offense. If he is able to pitch anything like that in Game 1, we could be in for a very low scoring ball game.

Why Each Team Will Win

Tigers - They are well-rested and focused coming into the game and know the task set before them. They have the best pitcher in baseball starting the game. Their lineup is loaded and features one of the best one-two punches in baseball in Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. They also benefit from being fresher and healthier.

Giants - They have been playing everyday and their offense showed it's ready after beating the Cardinals 9-0 in Game 7. They have a long stretch of winning games with Zito on the mound, so that only has to help their confidence. They also benefit from the fact that the Tigers bullpen has been very shaky, especially closer Jose Valverde.

Prediction

Tigers 3 Giants 2 - It's just too hard to pick against Verlander here. He has been so dominant this postseason. I believe that Cabrera or Fielder will come up with a decisive hit late. My only concern is that if Verlander doesn't throw a complete game, I am not nearly as confident that Valverde or whoever else can close out the win.

Klein Has Evolved From Heisman Dark Horse to Favorite

Collin Klein outshined fellow Heisman contender Geno Smith with seven total touchdowns in KSU's 55-14 win over WVU. (Justin K. Aller)

Collin Klein wasn't a household name before the beginning of the college football season. I also didn't see Kansas State on any preseason list of national champion contenders. It's been a surprising road to national prominence for Klein and the Wildcats, but they would be the first to tell you that season is far from over.

For the early portion of the college football season, it appeared that the Heisman race would be West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith's to lose. No one or team were capable of producing at his rate. My how two games change everything. When the Mountaineers offense struggled in a 59-14 blowout loss to Texas Tech, everyone thought it was just a bad day at the office for Smith and his boys.

After all, West Virginia had to rebound with a huge home game coming up against Kansas State. The winner of the game would emerge as the favorite to win the Big 12 and stay in the national title hunt. Even though Klein and the Wildcats were undefeated and higher ranked, they came into the showdown as underdogs.

Sixty minutes later, it became perfectly clear which quarterback should be the Heisman favorite and which team belongs in the national championship picture. With the support of the home crowd at their backs, West Virginia came out and got destroyed by Kansas State. The final score was 55-14, but that was only because the Wildcats took their foot off the pedal in the fourth quarter. They were up 52-7 after three quarters of play.

Smith threw for only 143 yards and one touchdown. He also threw his first two interceptions of the season. Meanwhile, Klein completed 19 of 21 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 41 yards and four touchdowns. That's correct. Klein had seven total touchdowns in three quarters of play on the road in what was the biggest game of the season thus far.

On the season, Klein has thrown for 1,397 yards, ten touchdowns, and only two interceptions. He has also rushed for 551 yards and 14 touchdowns. That's just shy of 2,000 total yards and 24 total touchdowns.

Klein and Kansas State know that they have to keep this going. They observed first hand what has happened to Smith and the Mountaineers. Even if the Wildcats don't go undefeated, I believe that if Klein plays like this he has to still be the Heisman favorite. While other candidates have struggled and fallen, he has only gotten better. Keep an eye on this kid and his team. Klein and Kansas State look like they are real contenders this season.

"We Are": Penn State Hockey Off to Good Start

Penn State's Casey Bailey scores the first D1 goal for the Nittany Lions.
(Photo from: http://pennstate.247sports.com/Article/Penn-State-Hockey-Earns-Split-95911)

Penn State didn't have to wait long to get it's first-ever win at the Division I level.

The Nittany Lions were on the verge of a winless weekend in the school's first season playing at the top  level of college hockey. After a 3-2 overtime loss to American International on Friday night, Big Blue found itself once again locked into a five minute overtime period.

The result this time would be different for Penn State, thanks to David Glen's second goal of the game. The PSU left winger cradled a pass from Kenny Brooks on the right wing, firing the puck past goaltender Ben Meisner from just outside the left hashmark and into the top of the net. Penn State mobbed a pumped-up Glen along the sideboards, celebrating the program's first win at the Division 1 level.

                                  Penn State earned an overtime win with this goal by David Glen.


Confidence was running over into this past weekend for the Nittany Lions--perhaps a bit too much. Surprisingly, especially after the big overtime win against American International, Penn State was shut out by Division III opponent Buffalo State. Reality check, anyone? The loss was probably enough for head coach Guy Gadowsky to choke on his spearmint gum.

Credit to the Nittany Lions, though. They went back to Division I opponents with a road game against RIT on Saturday night--the RIT Tigers, of course, coming off a huge upset of #3 Michigan the weekend before. The Tiger offense managed to shut down the Big Blue Machine on offense, allowing just 22 shots.

But you know what they say--champions find a way to win. Sophomore goaltender PJ Musico stepped up to the plate and rebounded from the previous loss, stopping 40 of 42 shots for the Nittany Lions. And despite only managing 22 shots, Penn State still found the back of the net three times, upsetting the RIT Tigers 3-2 in their own building.

Penn State is off to a great start in their first season at the NCAA Division I level.
(Photo from: http://thankyouterry.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-snails-pace-of-ticket-sales.html)

Nobody is claiming that Penn State will have a championship season...or even make the NCAA tournament for that matter. That's going to be a long-time coming, and there are multiple kinks for Guy Gadowsky to get out of the system. One big question for Penn State is how their defense will hold up once they get into the heart of the schedule--five of the eight Nittany Lion defenders is an underclassman. This will bode well for Penn State's defensive future (Musico is also an underclassman at goalie for PSU), but could prove costly during this first season at this level.

One positive for Penn State, however, is that the offense is already finding ways to score, averaging just under a respectable three goals a game. Impressively, Penn State has put up an incredible number of shots on their opponents--American International's Ben Meisner faced 63 shots on Friday night alone. The Nittany Lions are averaging 41 shots per game in their first four games.

Keep that up, and Penn State will be making some noise in the NCAA.
The Nittany Lion is on ice and ready to roar.

And the white and blue faithful are screaming out, with frosty breath, that "We are...Penn State."

Princeton Rallies to End Harvard's Winning Streak

Princeton wide receiver Roman Wilson catches a 36-yard touchdown pass to cap a 29-point rally to beat Harvard. (Beverly Schaefer)

Princeton was all but written off in Saturday's game against Harvard, who came in on a nation-leading 14-game win streak. With 13:02 left in the fourth quarter, Harvard's senior quarterback Colton Chapple threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Cameron Brate. The score put the Crimson up 34-10. The Tigers had no realistic shot being down by so much with so little time left.

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in not giving up," said legendary baseball manager Tommy Lasorda. The Princeton football team did not give up in Saturday's game.

The Tigers took their first step forward when sophomore quarterback Conner Michelsen found freshman running back Dre Nelson for a seven-yard score with 11:19 left in the game. The subsequent two-point conversion was successful as Michelsen completed a pass to senior wide receiver Tom Moak.

Less than four minutes later, Princeton cut into the Harvard lead again when Michelsen connected with sophomore wide receiver Matt Costello. A successful two-point conversion pass from backup quarterback Quinn Epperly to senior wide receiver Shane Wilkinson made the Crimson lead only 34-26.

With less than three minutes left in the game, the Tigers got the big play they were looking for when Michelsen hooked up with sophomore wide receiver Seth DeValve in the endzone for the 20-yard score. A successful two-conversion would tie the score, but the Crimson defense came up with the huge stop to hold on to their 34-32 lead.

It seemed as though the Princeton's comeback would come up just short. But their defense got them the ball back for one last shot. However, it appeared to be over again when Michelsen was knocked out of the game following a Harvard sack. With the pressure on, it seemed impossible that Epperly could complete the incredible comeback.

With thirteen seconds left, Epperly decided to air it out deep to the endzone for junior wide receiver Roman Wilson, who leaped in the air and pulled in the grab. The Tigers had pulled off the seemingly impossible. They did by playing as a team and never giving up. It took everything from heroics from a backup quarterback, a wide receiver catching his first collegiate touchdown, and a defense that had given up 34 points coming up with a number of crucial stops down the stretch. Princeton's football team showed the impossible does indeed become possible when you never give up.