Let’s get right to it and post my Top 20 just before the NCAA publishes their first official rankings of the season Tuesday night. 1) LSU 8-0 The big showdown with ‘Bama is coming up and I’m still liking the talent and the karma that this LSU squad is riding. 2) CLEMSON 8-0 The Tigers had a lot… Read More »
We are now halfway through the regular season for FBS teams and it’s time for me to update my team rankings. I am still giving the nod to all major programs that have a zero in the loss column. Then I have four teams sharing the 15 spot. When I post 1.2 in another two weeks these 1-Loss… Read More »
Don’t cringe when I say this but some college teams are already half way through their 2015 season. The Shrine Classic and Senior Bowl are just over 3 months away. And we are within months of a new HEISMAN Trophy winner. So along that vein how about me listing my Top 6 Heisman Hopefuls?! LEONARD FOURNETTE/RB LSU The… Read More »
October is here and the NFL season has hit the first quarter pole. Accordingly, here is Pigskin Paul’s first Power Ranking list for the League. The list is a combination of actual won/loss record, as well as my take on where the teams rank relative to each other. I am also trying to take into account what I… Read More »
College Football is over for the month of September, which means it is time for PIGSKIN PAUL’s initial Top 25 rankings. This is my ranking list to reward teams that have gotten off to a fast start and posted all victories for one month. No doubt some of these programs have been beating up on weak sister teams… Read More »
Just to preface this piece with a bit of an explanation, it is meant to serve as a weekly potpourri of happenings in the world of football that struck a nerve or cord within me. It may range from topics sublime to ridiculous, or occasionally serious, but pretty much always football related. So, this week let’s look at… Read More »
Almost like an annual right of passage I print up 32 team rosters and pour through the numbers. How many Rookies, how many new players overall, how many players 30 or older, and on and on. Then I present a few observations that seem like they might have some significance in the big scheme of pro football for… Read More »
Too many games, too few waking hours! I’ve got 3 more game wrap ups for you today but that will leave 3 games uncovered: CHICAGO @ CINCINNATI & PATRIOTS @ CAROLINA, not to mention the RAMS/COLTS game that I never got a recording of. Sorry to fans of those 6 teams. The JAGS subs managed to snatch defeat… Read More »
Despite the eternal optimism of the opening of Training Camp for almost every NFL fan the sad reality always creeps in and dampens the dreams of Super Bowl for all but a few franchises. Here are some doses of reality, as well as some causes for optimism. SEATTLE made the long flight down to San Diego and nipped… Read More »
THis week I’m going to be a bit more brief with liner-notes about the games. With roster cuts already under way and the College Football (i.e. DRAFT scouting time) underway game by game wrap-ups are just not practical. BROWNS 31-7 over BUCS. After walking all over the other team from Ohio in Week 2 the BUCS got a… Read More »
I’d like to tell you that I saved the best week two games for last, but that s not the case. By and large these were as lackluster as the previously reported contests. Usually the starters played so briefly there wasn’t enough time to get truly excited and beyond that you’d have to be rooting for some young… Read More »
If you were a fan wanting to see your COWBOYS faves in action against the 49’ers you likely wasted your time if you watched this game. TONY RORMO played a series, but DEZ, McFADDEN, SMITH, LEE, HARDY, WITTEN, and others never took the field. The only real value in this one was if you were watching to see… Read More »
Some of these pre-season presentations are simply unwatchable when couched in terms of top level professional football. The JAGUARS visit to New York to play the GIANTS ended up being one such effort. That is unless you are a dedicated soccer fan and the idea of 9 combined Field Goals is your idea of offensive excitement. ELI MANNING,… Read More »
The BENGALS laid an egg on Monday Night Football and JAMEIS WINSTON looked a lot better than he had in Week 1. WINSTON, who left the field limping late in the 1st Quarter after getting rolled up on his left ankle during a sack, looked much better than he had at the beginning of the pre-Season opener last… Read More »
Before we lunge into Week 2 game observations I wanted to touch on some roster shuffling that impressed me this week. This past off-season was a personnel nightmare for GM TRENT BAALKE of the 49’ers. Premature retirements like that of CHRIS BORLAND and off-field issues going beyond League suspensions for off field indiscretions like ALDON SMITH have ravaged… Read More »
The top 2 Picks in the 2015 NFL Draft were on stage as both started for their teams in Week 1. Both JAMEIS WINSTON and MARCUS MARIOTA have already been proclaimed as starting QB for the regular season by their Head Coaches. Welcome to the NFL boys! The BUCS traveled to Minnesota to face a resurgent VIKINGS squad.… Read More »
Technically speaking Training Camps are over and the pre-season/exhibition games have begun, with Week One’s games in the books. We have to be careful how much we read into the weekly game action until the real bullets fly in September. Every coach in the League has a different way of handling these games, but the bottom line of… Read More »
Having already stated that the RAVENS are far from a lock to capture this division in 2015 let’s take a look at the contenders and pretenders in the AFC North. The remainder of the AFC North features a group of tough teams to beat on Sunday, but an equally tough group to evaluate. The BENGALS have evolved under… Read More »
I’ve saved the AFC North until last to preview partly because the division mystifies me. No one is dominant, but most of them should be good. Remember, the RAVENS, BENGALS & STEELERS all won 10 or more games last season. Even the BROWNS are improving, if only they had a legit NFL starting QB to lead their Offense.… Read More »
The remainder of the NFC South will be struggling to keep their collective heads at .500 again in 2015, But in this division that still gives them a shot at catching the PANTHERS if that club trips up. The SAINTS seem the logical, best of the rest, primarily because they still have SEAN PAYTON and DREW BREES leading… Read More »
It looks as though, almost by default, the PANTHERS are poised to retain their NFC South title. Heck, they might even do it with a winning record this season, say 9-10 Wins. The team has done some good things this off-season, but in reality it’s mediocrity and step-backs by their divisional opponents that give them the biggest edge.… Read More »
So if I see the SEA HAWKS as being good for at least one more year atop the Division is anyone closing the gap? Can any other NFC West teams battle their way into the play-offs as a Wild Card? Yes, I believe so and the name of that organization is the CARDINALS. Since the leadership triumvirate of… Read More »
Yes, I am indeed picking the Sea Hawks to capture the NFC West crown one more time in 2015. But I will also add that I think the clock is ticking toward midnight on this team as a serious Super Bowl contender. They are close to hitting the Salary Cap wall, especially with RUSSELL WILSON finally being in… Read More »
Even though New England is due for some slippage I’m not convinced that anyone else in the AFC East is prepared to make a big enough leap to supplant them as division champs. The team most likely to chase should be he DOLPHINS, but not primarily because of the addition of DT/NDAMUKONG SUH. The biggest boost for the… Read More »
Repeating as Super Bowl champions has become one of the toughest tasks in the world of sports. Today’s NFL era of Free Agency and a hard Salary Cap make each new season a starting over point for most teams. 2015 looks to be just that for the PATRIOTS, but for right now I still think they have enough… Read More »
