So we have our field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament and for the most part you can't argue with the teams selections. The biggest issue I have with this committee is the seeding of the teams that they selected.
Here are some quick thoughts about the field:
How is Miami not a number 1 seed. They won the ACC regular season and tournament title and they are only a 2 seed. Would that have happened if this was UNC or Duke.
The committee must hate Larry Scott the Pac 12. How does the Pac 12 tournament champion, Oregon, ended up with a 12 seed. A 12 seed from a power conference is usually saved for one of the last at-large bids from a power league, not a tournament champion that was ranked for most of the year.
A couple of upsets: Colorado over Illinois; Ole Miss over Wisconsin; and Oregon over Okie State.
Players that America will get to know: Colorado guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson.
For the second year in a row the OTWT Scouting Staff has been locked up going over the top prospect in the MLB Draft. Here is our mock draft for the opening round of the Rule 4 Draft.
First round:
1. Houston Astros: Byron Buxton, OF, Georgia HS
2. Minnesota Twins: Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford
3. Seattle Mariners:Kyle Zimmerman, RHP, San Francisco
4. Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU
5. Kansas City Royals: Mike Zunino, C, Florida
6. Chicago Cubs: Albert Almora, OF, Texas High School
7. San Diego Padres: Marcus Stroman, RHP, Duke
8. Pittsburgh Pirates: Carlos Correa, SS, Puerto Rico
9. Miami Marlins: David Dahl, OF, Oklahoma HS
10. Colorado Rockies: Micheal Wacha, RHP, Texas A&M
11. Oakland Athletics: Max Fried, LHP, California High School
12. New York Mets: Devin Marrero, SS, Arizona State
13. Chicago White Sox: Andrew Heaney, LHP, Oklahoma State
14. Cincinnati Reds: Chris Stratton, RHP, Mississippi State
15. Cleveland Indians: Richie Shaffer, 3B, Clemson
16. Washington Nationals: Lucas Giolito, RHP, California HS
17. Toronto Blue Jays: Courtney Hawkins, OF, Texas HS
18. Los Angeles Dodgers: Gavin Cecchini, SS, Lousianna HS
19. St. Louis Cardinals (A. Pujols – LAA): Lance McCullers Jr, RHP, Florida HS
20. San Francisco Giants: Nick Travieso, RHP, Florida HS
21. Atlanta Braves: DJ Davis, OF, Mississippi HS
22. Toronto Blue Jays (T. Beede – unsigned): Ty Hensley, RHP, Oklahoma HS
23. St. Louis Cardinals: Victor Roache, OF, Georgia Southern
24. Boston Red Sox: J.O. Berrios, RHP, Puerto Rico
25. Tampa Bay Rays: Matt Smoral, LHP, Ohio HS
26. Arizona Diamondbacks:Corey Seager, 3B, North Carolina HS
27. Milwaukee Brewers (P. Fielder – DET): Addison Russell, SS, Florida HS
28. Milwaukee Brewers: Stephen Piscotty, 3B, Stanford
29. Texas Rangers:Lucas Sims, RHP, Georgia HS
30. New York Yankees: Stryker Trahan, C, Lousianna HS
31. Boston Red Sox (J. Papelbon – PHI):Tyler Naquin, OF, Texas A&M
After failing at PGA Tour Q School, former Oklahoma State star Peter Uihlein is heading to Europe to start his career. In addition to heading to Europe to start his career, Uihlein is heading to Europe for his agent. Uihlein, signs with Chubby Chandler. Chandler is a power broker in Europe, he manages three of the four of this years Grand Slam winners. So will more young Americans head to Europe if they don't make it here, its just a thought.
For the last couple of years, the University of Oregon has set the college football world on its ears with its different combinations of uniforms. You name the shade of green, the Ducks use it. This year Oklahoma State got into the act with a bunch of different uniforms. Now Rutgers seems to be getting into it. With the Army game on Saturday, Rutgers is set to wear their six different uniform in nine games. On Saturday, Scarlet Knights are set to introduce a white helmet with an American flag logo Rutgers logo on it
Here is the break down:
North Carolina Central State: All red
Ohio: red jersey/white pants/red helmets
Syracuse white jerseys/red pants/red helmets
Pitt: All black
Navy: red jerseys/white pants/red helmets
Louisville: white shirts/black pants/black helmets.
West Virginia: all black
USF: all red
Army: white helmets with an American flag "R"
So far the different uniform combinations have been fine, I just hope that the Nike and the school continue to tasteful when it comes to the uniform design.
In college you are supposed to give everything a try and Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden is sure trying that. After being a standout on the grid iron this year, Weeden is trying something else. The Oklahoma St. quarterback is walking on to golf team, yes that would be the national ranked Cowboy's golf team. After announcing that hey was returning to QB the cowboys next season Weeden tweeted the following:
“I forgot to mention I'm also the newest member of the OSU golf team!!!! Proud to be part of something special! Football and Golf!!!!”, according to a fox sports story
Weeden is no stranger to trying different things, baseball was his first love. Weeden was drafted in the second round of the baseball draft in 2002 by the Yankees as their first selection in the draft. After the 2003 season, he was traded to the Dodgers as part of the Kevin Brown deal he was selected in the Rule 5 draft following the 2005 season by the Royals His baseball career ended due to an arm injury and then he turned to football.
In high school, Weeden led Edmond Santa Fe High School to an appearance in the state semifinals in the school's first-ever playoff appearance, where he was eventually named team MVP and offensive player of the year. He finished second in Oklahoma in passing yards with 2,863. He also contributed 29 touchdowns. After leaving baseball, enrolled at OSU to baseball.
At this rate, Weeden will be trying out as a point guard for the Cowboys basketball team in the next couple of weeks.
Its the most wonderful time of the year, Bowl Season. While there are some bad match ups there are other that are very interesting. Here are the OTWT Bowl Season predictions
Dec. 18 2:00 pm New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. UTEP: BYU
Dec. 18 5:30 pm uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State: Fresno State
Dec. 18 9:00 pm R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Troy vs. Ohio: Ohio
Dec. 21 8:00 pm Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl: Louisville vs. Southern Miss: Louisville
Dec. 22 8:00 pm MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: Utah vs. Boise State: Boise State
Dec. 23 8:00 pm San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs. Navy: Navy
Dec. 24 8:00 pm Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Tulsa vs. Hawaii: Tulsa
Dec. 26 8:30 pm Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Toledo vs. Florida International: FIU
Dec. 27 5:00 pm AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Air Force: Georgia Tech
Dec. 28 6:30 pm Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina State vs. West Virginia: West Virginia
Dec. 28 10:00 pm Insight Bowl: Iowa vs. Missouri: Mizzou
So there is a game between two Top 15 teams and a match up between two unranked teams, guess which game I got on ABC. So instead of Oklahoma State Oklahoma game I have USC Notre Dame, but no problem. Thank god for XBox live, I'm able to watch the Cowboys and Sooners on ESPN3. It has saved the night. Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
National Signing Day is a big day around the country, but in some areas of the country its the only story in town. Here are some of the ways newspapers covered the annual celebration of college football recruiting.
The Tennessean
The Oklahoman The Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska) The Advocate (Louisiana) The Honolulu Advertiser Athens Banner Herald The Sun (Florida)
For the last couple of months, Only Time Will Tell's Scouting Department has been busy reviewing reports on players eligible for the Major League Baseball Draft. Here is how the department sees the first round going. There is no doubt about the first pick but after that its a little dicey.
1. Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State 2. Seattle Mariners: Dustin Ackley, 1B, North Carolina 3. San Diego Padres: Alex White, RHP, North Carolina
7. Atlanta Braves: Aaron Crow, RHP, Fort Worth Cats (Indy) 8. Cincinnati Reds: Garrett Green, SS, USC 9. Detroit Tigers: Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy, Missouri HS. 10. Washington Nationals (9B, for unsigned 2008 No. 9 overall pick Aaron Crow): Shelby Miller, RHP, Texas HS 11. Colorado Rockies: Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints (Indy) 12. Kansas City Royals: Everett Williams, OF, Texas HS 13. Oakland A's: Tyler Matzek, LHP, California HS 14. Texas Rangers: Matthew Purke, Texas HS 15. Cleveland Indians: Tim Wheeler, OF, Sacramento State 16. Arizona Diamondbacks: Rich Poythress, 1B, Georgia 17. Arizona Diamondbacks (from Dodgers - Orlando Hudson): Andy Oliver, LHP, Oklahoma State 18. Florida Marlins: Chad James, LHP, Oklahoma HS 19. St. Louis Cardinals: Bobby Bochering, 3B, Florida HS 20. Toronto Blue Jays: Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt 21. Houston Astros: Jared Mitchell, OF, LSU 22. Minnesota Twins: Mike Leake, RHP, Arizona State 23. Chicago White Sox: Kyle Heckathorn, RHP, Kennesaw State 24. Los Angeles Angels (from Mets - Francisco Rodriguez): Tyler Skaggs, LHP, California HS, 25. Los Angeles Angels (from Yankees - Mark Teixeira): Brett Jackson, OF, California 26. Milwaukee Brewers: Mike Trout, OF, New Jersey HS 27. Seattle Mariners (from Phillies - Raul Ibanez): Garrett Gould, RHP, Kansas HS 28. Boston Red Sox: AJ Pollack, OF, Notre Dame 29. New York Yankees (28B, for unsigned 2008 No. 28 overall pick Gerrit Cole): Max Stassi, C, California HS 30. Tampa Bay Rays: LeVon Washington, OF, Florida HS 31. Chicago Cubs: Rex Brothers, LHP, Lipscomb 32. Colorado Rockies (from Angels - Brian Fuentes): Chad Jenkins, RHP, Kennesaw State
Its going to be hard to hit on most of these, buts its funny that a school like Kennesaw State has potentially two first round picks in Heckathorn and Jenkins. Last year was the first year the draft was shown on TV, this year the draft will be shown on ESPN.
Two years ago Billy G was hired to lead Kentucky back to the top of college basketball, two years later it has all fallen apart. Billy G was fired as leader of the Wildcat nation, leading to one of the nations best programs looking for another head coach. Billy G was doomed after the cats did not make the tournament this year and was also doomed by his relationship with boosters and fans. So the rumor mill in the commonwealth is running wild. Here is how the Lexington's home town newspaper covered the events of yesterday.
Lexington Herald Leader
People are going to talk about different names for the jobs, but I'm going to go with Travis Ford. Ford, who is currently the head coach at Oklahoma State was part of the Unforgettables that lost to Duke in the Regional final almost 15 years ago.
Yesterday all around the country students gathered to see if their team would make it. Some schools were happy, while other were not so much. Here is some how of the papers around the country covered the events.
So all of the underclassmen have declared for the NFL draft and schools are in the process of wrapping up their recruiting; so that means its time for the first 2009 College Football Top 10. Some of the names in the top 10 will be the normal ones, while other will surprise, listed in predicted order of finish.
Oklahoma: So they lost again in a BCS game, but no team made out better when it comes to players heading to the draft.
Florida: Superman returns, but it will not be that easy to replace Harven. It might be possible to see a OH/UF rematch in the BCS National Championship Game next year.
Texas: I know its more of the same in the top 3. But Colt McCoy returns and they could challenge OU again. The running game should be a little stronger with Nate Newton son coming aboard.
LSU: After a terrible season last year, the Tigers could be on their way back and if they get uber recruit Reuben Randle there offense could be more explosive.
Virginia Tech: With an ACC that is still trying to find its self it would be no shock to see the Hokies back in the national championship picture.
Oregon: I know this sounds crazy but could this be the year that USC is not the best team in the Pac 10. I think that it might be.
USC: A whole new defense, well almost. Replacing a starting quarterback. It could take a couple of weeks for the new edition of the Trojans to get going this year.
Oklahoma State: Ok so the Holiday Bowl did not go the way that they wanted, but with an offense that returns almost everyone it could be a break out year for the Cowboys.
Ohio State: TP. enough said.
Boise State: All of the key parts return and now Broncos have the rep around the country to do something.
I'm sure this will change after spring practices are completed, so check back after the spring season for updated rankings.
Wow the Bowl Season has finally ended and what a season it has been. From the TCU vs. Boise State game early in the season to the Ohio State vs. Texas Fiesta Bowl, there have been a ton of ups and downs. Here are the winner and losers from the bowl season.
Winners
Non-BCS Leagues: With Boise and TCU playing a high quality game early in the bowl season and Utah's win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl teams from non-BCS leagues showed that hey can be a major part of the bowl season.
The Pac-10: For years the league was looked at as being soft. A bad national TV deal leads many in the media to think that they are less of a conference, but during the course of the bowl season they showed that they are force from Oregon's win over Oklahoma State to USC bitch slapping of Penn State.
Senior Big East QBs Pat White and Mike Teal: Two of the more successful players in the history of the Big East, both ended their careers with bowl win. White over North Carolina, Teal over North Carolina State. It was great to see White fathers singing after is son's bowl win, while Teal, who was the laughing stock of the conference at the start of the year, showed the class he had by bounding back and leading his team to another bowl win. As a season ticket holder at Rutgers, I can only say one thing to Mr. Teal, "Thank you."
Tulsa: They are the little school that could. Every year they do a great job in developing a great offense and this year was no different. With Todd Graham, the Golden Hurricanes will continue to grow.
Ole Miss and Vandy: Two of the lower SEC teams each won bowl game and the future looks bright for both teams.
Losers
The Big 10: No shocker their. Every year they look slow and not at pace with other teams it was no different this year. Outclassed in the Fiesta and Rose bowls. They need to go back to drawing board.
Miami: As a fan of the U, this was a hard bowl season from the loss to the California to the mess with QB Robert Marve and the firing of Offensive Coordinator Patrick Nix. It was not fun at all.
The Sun Bowl: 3-0, no it was not a game from the Barclays Premier League, it was a bowl game. Oregon State and Pitt played one of the worst bowl games in years.
The National Media: So an impressive win over Hawaii has made Notre Dame a national program again. Be careful what you wish for.
After an ok regular season, soon bowl season will here. Here is Only Time Will Tell officials predictions for the bowl season.
BCS Bowl Games
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi: Penn State vs. USC: USC FedEx Orange: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech:Cincy Allstate Sugar: Utah vs. Alabama: Alabama Tostitos Fiesta: Ohio State vs. Texas: Texas FedEx BCS National Championship Game: Florida vs. Oklahoma: Florida
Other Bowl Games
EagleBank: Wake Forest vs. Navy:Navy New Mexico: Colorado State vs. Fresno State: Fresno State magicJack St. Petersburg: Memphis vs. South Florida: South Florida Pioneer Las Vegas: BYU vs. Arizona: BYU R+L Carriers New Orleans: Southern Miss vs. Troy: Troy San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia: Boise State vs. TCU: Boise State Sheraton Hawaii: Hawaii vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame Motor City:Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan: Central Michigan Meineke Car Care:West Virginia vs. North Carolina: North Carolina Champs Sports: Wisconsin vs. Florida State: Wisconsin Emerald: Miami (Fla.) vs. California: Miami Independence: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech: Louisiana Tech Papajohns.com:NC State vs. Rutgers: Rutgers Valero Alamo: Missouri vs. Northwestern: Missouri Roady's Humanitarian:Maryland vs. Nevada: Nevada Texas:Rice vs. Western Michigan: Rice Pacific Life Holiday: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon: Okie State Bell Helicopter Armed Forces: Houston vs. Air Force: Houston Brut Sun: Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh: Pitt Gaylord Hotels Music City: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt: Vandy Insight: Kansas vs. Minnesota: Kansas Chick-fil-A: LSU vs. Georgia Tech: LSU Outback: South Carolina vs. Iowa: South Carolina Capital One: Georgia vs. Michigan State: Georgia Konica Minolta Gator: Clemson vs. Nebraska: Clemson AT&T Cotton: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech: Texas Tech AutoZone Liberty: Kentucky vs. East Carolina: East Carolina International: Buffalo vs. Connecticut: Buffalo GMAC: Tulsa vs. Ball State: Ball State
Best non-BCS game: Holiday Bowl, look out scoreboard. World non-BCS game: Liberty Bowl Player to use bowl game to start next season Heisman Trophy campaign: Zac Robinson, QB, Okie State.
