BradshawEvery damn year you have a few teams that the asshats over at ESPN and throughout the sports world decide are always gonna be good. Its ridiculous and I don't know how they can keep ranking teams high every year when they are consistently shit. Look I know that some of these teams were powerhouses at one point, but banking on how good they were 30 years ago means shit in the world of college football. Saying oh they won a championship in 1985, so obviously they're gonna be good every year following, is like saying Blockbuster had a successful business, so movie rentals are a solid investment. You're full of shit if you think that. So with all of this, I'm here to rank the top 10 most consistently overrated teams in College Football. 10. Virginia Tech Frank Beamer is a saint. Lets get that out of the way first. But that doesn't mean that his beloved Virginia Tech should be ranked high year after year. Justin Fuente is doing some great things with that program and he took them to an ACC championship in his first season as head coach. Thats impressive and I'm sure they will start deserving the high preseason rankings pretty soon, but for now they're still always overrated. 9. UCLA Josh Rosen is supposed to be the number 1 draft pick next year, but look what happened, he got hurt at UCLA and then decided to transfer. Doesn't look good for them this year. When you're as big a school as UCLA, it seems like you should be able to recruit and at least win a conference title every now and then. Nope, no conference title since 1998 and no National Championship since 1954. For a team thats supposed to be good every season, they put up some super mediocre seasons. Last years 4-8 record counts as one of those. 8. Nebraska Ah shit Bo Pelleni era Nebraska football. Those were some good times, but since then what the hell happened. Sure, they put up some really good teams every now and then, but they should never be ranked as high as they are every preseason. Expect to see them in the top 25 preseason when they probably shouldn't be. 7. Texas Ah yeah a perennial football powerhouse. You're Texas and you should be able to recruit better than any team in the country. If you can't recruit when you are one of the richest football schools in the country, then what the hell are you doing. Texas is one of the best recruiting grounds in the country and Charlie Strong couldn't do it. Ever since the last few years of the Mack Brown era, it seems like Texas has just fallen further into mediocrity. If you get Tom Herman and you can't be good again, then you might be cursed. We'll see. 6. Ole Miss Who knew that paying your players and breaking all kinds of rules wouldn't lead to any real NCAA punishments. Well when you're Ole Miss this can happen for you. Regardless of how much they pay their players, money doesn't make you a good team. Ole Miss is the poster child of this. Sure they had a good season one year, but they legit have not won a conference title since 1963. So if you think they're gonna be great this season, you're probably dead wrong. Not even Chad "Swag" Kelly could lead them to glory. 5. Miami Ahhh shit they made like two 30 for 30's about Miami football. Oh wait that means nothing in terms of how good they actually are. The Jimmy Johnson era hurricanes and then the 2001 National Championship teams were absolutely some great football teams. But since then what have they done? Absolutely nothing. Moving out of the Orange Bowl was one of the worst ideas they ever had. Oh yeah, people would love to drive an hour to bum-fuck nowhere to see Miami play football. Dead wrong. For a team that hired Al Golden and thought it would be a good idea, they don't deserve to actually be good for at least 5 years. Sure they have Mark Richt and things might be looking up, but right now, they are still overrated. 4. West Virginia West Virginia moved to the Big 12 so everyone thought oh this is it. A team with a defense that isn't made up of 4th grade little league football players should be able to win a Big 12 championship right? Nope, they still couldn't do it. I loved watching West Virginia play during the Rich Rodriguez era, and they were a pretty damn football team, but since 2011 they haven't done much of anything. The main reason they're on my list is that they should be able to beat every team in the Big 12. Their defense has a pulse. Big upside to them, but they just couldn't do it. They'll probably be ranked high again this year, and they'll probably suck again. 3. Tennessee Holy shit is it 1998 and is Peyton Manning the quarterback at Tennessee? No its not, so why the hell are we still living like it is. This team is consistently ranked preseason with people saying they are gonna win the SEC. Well they haven't done that since 1998 either so for now lets stop blowing Tennessee and not give them credit for stuff they haven't done. I thought last year was supposed to be their year, but 9-4 and a Music City Bowl... For those Tennessee fans out there getting mad about this, at least you can watch your boy Peyton on Papa John's commercials. 2. Georgia Georgia hasn't won an SEC championship since 2005 and they haven't won a National Championship since 1980. It seems like they're gonna be good every year and I fall into that trap sometimes thinking that this might be Georgia's year. When you actually go and look at the seasons, they just can't win championships. I might be biting my tongue since they could be really damn good this year, but for now they're still overrated as hell. 1. Notre Dame Where do I even start. Notre Dame hasn't won a National Championship since 1988, but I swear if you ask Lou Holtz, this year is "Notre Dame's year." Thats the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Every damn year. Come on, you think that he would give it up, but I guess not. Some of you are gonna shit on me and say oh but Notre Dame went to the National Championship game in 2012. Yeah sure they did. How did that work out? They got absolutely nailed by Alabama 42-14. Not even Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend could tell me that they weren't overrated. Last year they had an extremely mediocre record of 4-8, but who knows, they'll probably be ranked top 5 in the preseason polls. So for all you people out there that are making the preseason rankings, please dear god actually look at the facts and stop ranking teams just because of what they used to be. Thanks. Bradshaw
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Z TrainNothing weirder than watching two dudes (or two chicks) kicking each other's asses on the Sabbath. But I'm not complaining. So here goes: UFC Fight Night 112 Predictions Michael Chiesa vs Kevin Lee Lee has been talking a lot of weird shit, even about Chiesa's mom. He's really not a great trash-talker, but in fighting and wrestling alike, you gotta put yourself out there. I think this favors Chiesa and gives him even more motivation. He's got a good motor because he doesn't carry nearly as much muscle. I like his striking, love his grappling, and he's got solid jiu-jitsu. Kevin is a ground-and-pound, wrestling powerhouse. His key to victory is getting Chiesa on the ground and controlling. If he can't control the fight with take-down threats and wrestling, he'll lose. Look to make sure he doesn't drop his hands, because Chiesa will absolutely take advantage with his superior reach to tag that jaw. If this fight goes deep, favor Chiesa and his motor. I just think he's too well-rounded for this. I also have money on him. Take that as you will. Winner: Chiesa in 4th round finish Tim Boetsch vs Johny Hendricks Poor Johny. He missed weight. Again. It's a bummer to watch this happen to the former champ, but I guess that's just sports. On paper, "Big Rig" has every edge. He's a more polished boxer with great footwork and is solid on the ground (All-American collegiate wrestler) and in the clinch. Boetsch is on the wrong side of 35, but as a former college wrestler himself, you know he's strong and 20 professional MMA wins is no joke. So Hendricks is a no brainer (shout out), right? My issue is this: Missing a weight cut for the third time in a row has got to weigh on a fighter. This is their life's blood (literally), and for a guy as professional as Hendricks, it's got to get to his head. Boetsch is a powerhouse who I think can pounce on this uncertainty that is plaguing Hendricks. He can throw some shots and has serious knockout potential. I'm rooting for Johny and think he can get over this mental mountain in his home state of Oklahoma, but it's gonna be tough. Sticking with my gut and going with my man. Winner: Hendricks in a unanimous decision. Felice Herrig vs Justine Kish This is an interesting one. Herrig is the underdog, but as a very well-rounded, experienced fighter I think this fight is hers. Kish is no slouch, and very well-rounded herself. But I got money on Herrig. I think she has the edge in wrestling and on the ground, and I think she'll use that to her advantage. Winner: Herrig in a 2nd round finish Joachim Christensen vs Dominick Reyes The classic up-and-comer vs the talented, wiley veteran. This is always a matchup the UFC makes with it's "gatekeepers" (gotta google this one) and the guys they think could be special. I like Reyes here. The guy can throw with the best of them, and he's undefeated. Christensen is an awesome fighter, and still can compete at 38 years old. But that 38 year old jaw is going to have to stand up to a 205-pound, younger Reyes throwing some serious heat. If he can pull some classic veteran moves on the feet and in the clinch, Christensen can pull this out. But I think this could be a highlight reel knockout. Winner: Reyes in 1st Round KO Tim Means vs Alex Garcia I love Tim Means. He's a fucking UFC fighter and his last name has "Mean" in it. Cool name, if only he had a cooler nickname/crazier eyes than The Dean of Mean Keith Jardine. Anyways, I love Means. I like his work in the clinch, and think he can keep the muscular, powerful Garcia at a distance with his long frame. I think he out-veterans him this fight. But don't be surprised if Garcia knocks him out if Means gets to close to that right hook sweet spot. Winner: Means in a unanimous decision BJ Penn vs Dennis Siver You should just spend this time looking up BJ Penn highlights and not watching these two 38 year olds fight. Don't let this BJ be the BJ you remember. Winner: Siver in 1st round KO Z Train Z Train^ see subject line.
I could end this blog here. Every single NFL preview has had the Falcons wondering “can they avoid the Super Bowl hangover?” As much of a lame-brained, shamefully biased Atlanta fan as I am, I realize that this is a completely reasonable question. We were on the verge of a historic beatdown of an upset and completely fucking blew it to the GOAT, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. (Side note: what douchebag has two middle names?) Like epically blew it. From all the insane statistics we all have seen since then, it was the biggest meltdown of all time. So I get the question. I even get the jokes. In the Internet-, highlight-, hashtag-, headline-leading world we live in, everybody loves shitting on stuff. I won’t even vaguely pretend I’m not above that. I’m not even close. So I get the jokes. I really do. I'm not trying to go after the sports-consuming world that I am very much a part of, or be a sore loser about the Super Bowl. Just trying to prove a point. Even though I absolutely am a sore loser. The frustrating part to me is that it’s EVERY post I’ve seen since February. Like I said. I get the question. It’s reasonable. I get the jokes. They’re warranted and pretty funny. I’m frustrated that the professional journalists at these big name, big budget places just give the bare minimum, lazy journalism and analysis. “Super Bowl Hangover” being questioned over and over again just shows me that journalists are looking for a lazy headline grab, rather than looking at the roster Dimitroff and Quinn have compiled and doing some analysis on what’s right in front of them. "The Brotherhood" that DQ has created is legit. Check this awesome article from Bleacher Report (before SB LII I might add). From the team Marine drills to rearranging the locker room for more collaboration, it's badass leadership. So to me, that question is easily answered in only the cliche words a former high school locker room glue guy could say: stick together as a team. So why do we keep beating this dead horse? Is it because no one cares about ATL in the sports world? Maybe. (OK, admittedly, oftentimes, in our own fanbases. Our fans can be shitty. I’m sorry. Your fans can be shitty too. It’s sports.) Or is it because journalists want the headline, want to write us off, and move on with super important blogs about LaVar Ball, where Joel Embiid was partying last night, and whatever the fuck Cowherd is yelling at the sky about? Again, maybe. I don’t have the answers, except to the one fucking question everybody has been presenting and not answering. So Z. What is the biggest question if your such a damn genius? Thank you, I am a genius. And to me it’s pretty easy. It’s our coordinators. Can Steve Sarkisian continue and improve a historic offense without puking up his fifteen fingers of Tennessee Honey, and can Marquand Manuel develop our defense the way I think it can? Sark the Shark. Holy shit. My sister went to U-Dub, so I’ve kept up with Sarkisian for a while. Alcoholic who capitulated in the biggest job of his life? Yeah. But I’m an optimist, and this dude has been through the gauntlet already, failing and picking himself back up again. He joined the Tuscaloosa Island for Misfit Toys, and I’m a believer again. The guy got the Huskies job at 35, and then got the Southern Cal job after 4 years of HC experience. The guy is an undoubted “football guy” and his experience precedes him. I’m a believer. I think he can do it. Hopefully. Marquand is another high-risk high-reward guy. He’s a 7-year journeyman pro via a 6th round pick out of UF. Pretty awesome story. He’s been an assistant to DQ since he was in Seattle in 2012, and he followed him here to Atlanta the last few years as the secondary coach. This analysis comes down to DQ’s judgment. To me, I love the internal hire. I love the guy who’s been under Quinn’s wing and knows what he wants. It’s going to be interesting to see how our defense improves throughout the year, with this being a massive step. We saw a huge improvement as the season drew on last year, and everyone is hoping for even more improvement this year. Our projected defense has 8 starters with 3 or less years of NFL experience (Beasley, Jarrett, Poole, Neal, McKinley, Jones, Campbell, Riley). As a young, new coordinator (37 years old) this is a beast of a job and a huge challenge. To me, the answer to these questions come down to trusting Dan Quinn. He’s gotten us this far in just two years, so let’s see what else he can do. So there you have it folks. Trusting our head coach that he’s put the right people in the right place and can guide our team back to the big show is the key to the season. Sorry for this painfully elementary solution, but hey, this is my first ever blog so fuck you. Let’s treat this stupid ass hangover talk, ironically, exactly how I like to handle things when I’m hungover: lay it to rest. It’s not fucking rocket science. Z Train |