Building The Dam: FanPosts

Previewing the Pac 10 Games

OrState GoBeavs — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:03:28 -0000

After that first week of games I don't know if I can be any happier. I'll tell you a win over Penn State would help. Having USC off this week kinda saddens me cuz damn were they fun to watch. I digress....

#15 BYU @ Washington, 12:10

If you asked me before the season starts, I would have guessed Washington wins in a shootout, 49-45. After watching how woeful they were against UO, its hard to predict them putting up more than 14 against a very solid BYU team (though I think vastly over rated). Washington just looked so damn bad.

Keys to the game: Can Washington keep up in scoring with BYU? Yes I know, probably the dumbest thing to say, but its true. BYU will put up points against that D. How can Locker and Co keep up? By running the ball better than it did against UO. 2.2 yards a carry is just not going to cut. Neither is dropping the ball more times then all of Jaison Williams seasons combined. I expect it to be a long couple of weeks for UW with BYU and Oklahoma coming to town.

Prediction: I'll have to go with BYU in this one, 41-14. There are definitely going to be some boo birds at Husky Stadium tomorrow.

Oregon State @ #19 Penn State, 12:30 ABC

Well, this is big one for us. Penn State is reeling after having 3 starters suspended and numerous off field troubles. Oregon State is reeling after losing to, ahem, Stanford..What? Anyways, this game could go a long way for the confidence of our team and fans. A win and we are reclaiming our season back. We start the season 0-2, and it could be a long fall.

Keys to the game: The weather appears to not be as much of a factor as originally thought, and I think that helps us in the event we can't run the ball. Which leads me to my next point: WE NEED TO ESTABLISH A RUNNING GAME AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TACKLE! TACKLE! TACKLE! Too many times last week we had Stanford in the backfield only for the guy to break out and gain 5-6 yards (in some cases even more). If we can control the line of scrimmage things look good. If we can't, there are going to be problems.

Prediction: Since I love my G-damn Beavs I'm going to predict a 31-27 victory.

Utah State @ #18 Oregon, 12:37 (wtf?)

This game really doesn't even need previewing. Ducks in a blowout, 56-3.

Cal @ Washington State, 3:30

Cal looked much improved versus Michigan State and the score was much closer than the game actually was. Washington State on the other hand, well, looked as bad as they have this decade against Oklahoma State. However, Cal gave up a lot of passing yards to MSU and that is WSU's bread and butter.

Keys to the game: If Cal's secondary can keep WSU to under 300 yards passing, then it will be a blowout. If not, then look for the score to be a lot closer. Cal will put up huge rushing numbers against WSU's D.

Prediction: Cal wins in a blowout, 45-10, with WSU lone touchdown coming with all the scrubs in.

Toledo @ Arizona, 7 PM

This one could be a shoot out. Toledo has long been an air it out kind of a team and Arizona put up huge numbers against Idaho and I imagine the same in this game. Not sure how good Toledo's D is, but I imagine it has to test UA more than the Vandals did.

Keys to the game: UA needs this win to be only 4 wins from bowl eligibility. In order to get there, they are going to have to continue to air the ball out against lesser secondaries. I think they need to throw the ball 40 times this game to outscore Toledo because I'm not sure how good UA's D is.

Prediction: High scoring, lots of yardage, UA wins 38-30.

Stanford @ #15 Arizona State

Jim Harbaugh has Stanford fans excited and beating us last week help the momentum from last year carry over. They are going to need to produce another stellar game and continue to run the way they did. I imagine ASU's tackling will be better than ours was last weekend.

Keys to the game: Can ASU control the line of scrimmage? If so, it will give Rudy Carpenter lots of time to find the open receivers against a mediocre secondary. Stanford needs to run run run and improve their passing game if they want to start 2-0.

Prediction: Stanford keeps it close until the 4th quarter, when ASU's depth takes over, much like ours did in the last 10 minutes. The score won't show how close a game it actually was. 34-20 ASU.

Question to BeaverNation

platnumkid — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:39:27 -0000

Or whatever you guys call yourselves (I'm sorry for my ignorance).

What is the general consensus that the outcome of this Saturdays game is going to be? Over at the PSU blog everyone thinks it's going to be 3 TD+ blowout. Personally i think it could go that way if OSU gets overwhelmed by the hype/crowd or if they fall a touchdown or 2 behind and then give up. However i don't see how that would happen; a team doesn't beat USC one year and then totally panic about playing the #19 team in then nation. I think it will be a 7-21 point win for PSU totally dependent on how open the playbook gets. The way stanford ran the ball on you guys i just dont see how you're going to be able to control the line of scrimmage enough against us to win.

Some info on the players that will be missing as a result of what has been dubbed "the 5204 incident" (since "the apartment incident" was taken last off season).

TE - Andrew Quarless - very talented guy but has been in trouble before and been successfully replaced before. Also the team should be going farther and farther way from relying on a TE to begin with. Conclussion - wont be missed much at all.

DE - Maurice Evans - Very very talented player, pre-season All-American, All-Big10, had a metric assload of sacks last year. Is the best player on our defense. Luckily we have many talented DE's waiting in the wings (watchout for #59 aaron maybin and #5 Jarome Hayes). Conclussion - Will definitely will be missed, but with depth at the position not devastating.

DT - Abe Koroma - Good runstopper, and solid cog in our DT rotation. We went in the offseason from being 6 deep at DT down to 2 good ones and 1 serviceable one (all due to off-field shenanigans). Conclussion - Not the best player missing but may be the most missed. If the PSU offense can keep the D off the field this wont matter, but if time of position is split, our DT's could be tired come the end of the game.

SEC v Pac10: Some more facts

OrState GoBeavs — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:44:05 -0000

So we out here in the west know how talented the Pac 10 is, but very rarely do we get the respect we deserve. Bruce Feldman wrote an article today on his blog and he had some interesting stuff about the Pac 10 vs the SEC. Check it out:

• More grist for the SEC nonconference scheduling debate. This time from Jon Solomon:

"Besides losing a payday, leaving home means this harsh reality for the SEC: It's pretty mediocre on the road. Since 1998, the SEC is 40-39 in nonconference road games. That mark drops to 24-31 at schools from BCS conferences. The Pac-10, which SEC fans conveniently shoo aside, is now 10-6 this decade against the SEC. Whereas the SEC is 1-6 at Pac-10 schools, the Pac-10 has gone 4-5 at SEC stadiums."

As I said the other day, I do believe that the SEC is the toughest conference in college football. "Believe" being the operative word. And while it is true that the league has won the past two BCS titles, these head-to-head games should carry some weight.

The Heisman Pundit weighed in on this subject recently and raised a valid point.

Public Service Announcement

CV3000 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:47:31 -0000

Cell phone numbers are now public--and available to telemarketers. Not only is this annoying, but you will also be charged for them calling you.

Call this number to be on the national 'do not call' list (you have to do it from your cell phone): 888-382-1222.

It takes about 20 seconds, but it could save you money or annoyance in the future.

For those traveling to Penn State

OrState GoBeavs — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:09:17 -0000

Thanks to Tailgate Shogun from blackshoediaries.com (PSU's blog) to those of you traveling to Penn State, here's some tailgating, liquor tips, etc. It sounds like Pennsylvania has even worse liquor laws than we do!

"May god have mercy on the souls of those folks staying in Pittsburgh!

Kidding, it can be a fun town, although you’ll be getting there pretty late on Saturday night after the game.

As far as things to do, just drive towards the stadium and park wherever. Tailgaters at PSU are a friendly bunch, and would certainly welcome some out of town guests. If you’re downtown in the morning, there’s a lot of shopping on College & Beaver avenues, as well as about 25 bars. Most any can be the home of a great time.

Something to note: Pennsylvania’s liquor laws are ridiculously ass-backward. If you’re planning on bringing beer/liquor/wine to the tailgate, you can’t just buy it in the grocery store or gas station like every other state in the union. Cases of beer need to come from distributors (there are three or four in and around town), although you can get 12 or 6 packs at a couple of “bottle shops” right downtown. Wine & liquor need to come from “State Stores”, which can be found on the outskirts of town. If this sounds like a big pain in the ass – congrats, you’re right! Ask someone at your hotel for help."

Mike Hass moving on again

rvm — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:37:26 -0000

Here we go again, but Hass seems to keep people's interest going and I'm hoping he can catch on somewhere soon (sorry about the unintended pun!). And we all know he has a ton of untapped potential at the NFL level, but not sure how long he can keep bouncing around practice squads and being a sixth string non-active player before he moves on to something else.

Hass to Tryout with Giants

Thoughts on each Pac-10 Team, Week 1

OrState GoBeavs — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:34:49 -0000

Arizona: beat Idaho 70-0. Hard to really say here if Arizona finally turned the corner or if this was just a beatdown of a bottom of the WAC team. Yes, 70 points is impressive, and yes holding them to 0 points is also impressive. But what I think was most impressive was no turnovers (which has been a problem for UA in the past) and forcing 5, as well as holding them to only 112 yards. The verdict is still out on this UA team- I still think this team is overrated and won't be good come Pac 10 time- but it was an impressive start to the year.

Arizona State: beat Northern Arizona 30-13. A good showing by a Sun Devil team that is picked, along with Oregon, as a potential dethroner of USC. Rudy Carpenter played well in the time that he saw, and it appeared that the offensive line might actually be improved from last year despite losing all those starters (hard to be worse after giving up as many sacks as they did last year). A couple things to watch for: ASU didn't force any turnovers against a FCS team, as well as got dominated in time of possession by nearly 10 minutes. They will get a chance to prove themselves in the next coming weeks with a game against an improved Stanford and a game against Georgia.

Cal: beat Michigan State 38-31. This game could have been a blowout. Cal vastly outplayed MSU, despite only winning by 7 and the game not being decided until the final minutes. But Nate Longshore came in with a chance to prove himself and threw 2 INTs, 1 in the Red Zone and 1 that was a pick 6. The Cal offense looked explosive, and I think Jahvid Best looks better then advertised. Can Riley keep up the production the entire year remains to be seen. But I thought that Cal would be greatly improved from last year and finish 2nd in the Pac 10, and they looked every bit of that on Saturday.

Oregon: beat Washington 44-10. What can I say about the most hated team in the Pac 10? Well, it was a tail of 2 halves. The first half, I was laughing because neither team looked very impressive, and Oregon looked like their were missing Dixon. Then the 2nd half happened. Oregon's offense looked every bit as advertised last year. The only positive thing for me that came out of the game was that Washington looked so awful that it's really hard to judge UO just yet. I can only hope that they follow their natural tradition of blowing it come November. Why does Mike Bellotti make his team eat Cheeri-Os out of the box? Because everytime they get close to a bowl they choke. Had to get that jab in.

Oregon State: lost to Stanford 36-28. Ugh. Shit. F**k. What the hell. Anyways, I don't want to get into this too much because it depresses me. A couple positives, our offense looked as powerful as ever. And our pass defense looked decent. A couple issues, no forced turnovers and too many big plays. I think this loss won't look as bad at the end of the year because I truly believe Stanford will be a bowl team. But it's time for OSU to start demanding respect, and an opening game loss to Stanford on ESPN is no way to do it. A win against Penn State would go a long way to redeeming ourselves.

Stanford: beat Oregon State 36-28. Ugh. Shit. F**k. What the hell. Anyways, I don't want to get into this too much because it depresses me. But Stanford did look improved, and Jim Harbaugh is building quite the resume in only the beginning of his 2nd year. Their rushing offense looked somewhat impressive, breaking open a couple big plays. But their passing offense didn't look very strong. They are going to need to improve in that area in order to keep up with the Pac 10 offenses.

UCLA: beat Tennessee 27-24. WOW. That's all I can say is, WOW. For a team that I predicted to finish only ahead of the Washington schools, they certainly impressed. I do think they were lucky to be in the game after throwing 4 INTs, but their defense looked as good as any in the conference. I still don't know how good this team is, but if they can beat BYU and Fresno State, that will be a great start for Rick Nieuheisel.

USC: beat Virginia 52-7. Now how good this team look? Despite playing a lower-tier ACC team, they looked as good as any team in Pete Carroll's era. They should run through Ohio State, and start conference play ready to roll through the remaining 9 teams. Will probably have the classic slip up against 1 or 2 teams, but I can't predict it. They have a favorable conference schedule with UO, ASU and Cal all at home. But this upcoming 4 game stretch (v. Ohio St, @Oregon St, v UO, v ASU) could prove to be a difficult road to travel.

Washington, Washington State: lost to Oregon 44-10, Oklahoma St 39-13. I decided I didn't want to write about both teams separately, because it looks as if both teams will be 0-8 in conference and the Apple Cup will decide last place. I don't see Washington winning any of their non-conference games (BYU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame) and I could see Washington State losing to both Baylor and even Portland State. Probably not PSU, but they looked awful versus a lower half Big XII South team.

Pac 10 Rankings through Week 1:

1. USC

2. UO

3. Cal

4. UCLA

5. ASU

6. Stanford

7. Arizona

8. Oregon State

9. Washington

10. Washington State

NOTE: These are just the rankings through 1 week of play, not where I predict the teams to finish.

Honest College ad

Charles Barkley McLovin — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:47:07 -0000

With the coming of college football and endles hours spent in front of the television, you are bound to watch a few commercials, even if you have mastered the art of TiVo.

There is always one or two commericals produced by schools trying to convince you that their college will provide you with the best college experince you can possibly have, despite you only recognizing that school by their crappy football team or mascot.

Well thanks to Collegehumor, we know the real truths about College advertisements.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Pac10 Football making a case for best Conference

OrState GoBeavs — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:15:04 -0000

The Pac-10 needed to take this year as a statement to conferences around the country that we are indeed, one of the top conferences, if not the top. And if not only that, that this conference is not just USC and everyone else. For anyone who has been on the message blogs on ESPN or CBS or any of those other national blogs, the Pac-10 gets very little or no respect from the other conferences (Big 10 included). This non-conference schedule is going to give the Pac-10 the chance to do just that. With USC beating Virginia 52-7, and a rebuilding UCLA team beating #18 Tennessee, it has started out well for us. I don't think Oregon State needs to beat Penn State this weekend, but they definitely need to keep it close and avoid the early season blow out that they have suffered in previous years on the road (Louisville, Boise State, and Cinci). A win however, would go a long way (not only for the Pac10 and OSU's respect, but also to relieve this current state of depression I've been in since Stanford). USC gets Ohio State in 2 weeks, but it's more important that USC doesn't LOSE to Ohio State rather then them winning, because everyone knows that USC is good, and Ohio State might be a tad overrated, but a loss makes the rest of the conference suffer. Likewise, ASU gets Georgia. Here again, I don't think ASU needs to win, but a close loss to the #1 team in the nation would go a long way. Oregon plays Purdue on the road and Boise State at home and 2 wins against those teams are vital. I don't think the Washington schools are going to do much in their non-conference games, but the rest of the schools have a chance to prove our worth as a conference. If UCLA can beat potential BCS-buster BYU then we could have the top conference in the country this year. Don't read too much into Alabama's win this weekend, Clemson continues to be vastly overrated, and we all saw how weak the ACC was.

Pac10 football rules!

and Go Beavs

Building the Dam Pick 'em Reminder

Jake — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:41:43 -0000

If you haven't already signed up for the Building the Dam Pick 'em Game, do so by following this link. Thanks!

Okay now, PSU is a must win.

olzeke — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:55:37 -0000

Here's the deal. Last year was a great year, all things considered. I've always been a little skeptical after Erickson left, and being a Beaver believer with season tickets through the 80's and 90's (when they were quite affordable and the term "Beaver Believer" hadn't been created yet, by the way), I was worried the Beavs would slump back into those unglorious days.

But Riley has proven me wrong the last two seasons. Last year, after the Cinci game, I was ready to hang my hat for the season. More so after 42 interceptions at ASU. So it is tempting to have the same doubts after losing to a Stanford team who is picked to do no better than any other California highschool. Sorry for that, Cards. I forgot. We lost.

While it can't really be said that last year's home game against Utah pumped us up for Cinci the following week, at least it was a home game to start the year. Provided we lost to Cinci, at least we could come back home the following week, and beat up on some college team from the nuclear testing grounds of south-central Idaho. However, I don't feel so hopeless this year. Yet.

I'm a believer, don't get me wrong. But I'm a realist as well, and we have the #2 toughest schedule of the Pac 10 teams. Following this game on a flight to Penn State ain't going to be easy. The Lions smell fresh blood, and we can't play there like we did in Cinci last year, and have any sort of prayer. (I'm assuming the N.Lions roll all over their opponent this weekend)

The Beavs want another 9 win season. And we can attain it. But PSU is a must win for that to happen. It's too bad that the Beavs are in such a crucial situation at the beginning of the season, but with the loss to the Cards, they are.

Now to a short analysis of the game this evening. I hate to say it, but I think much of this loss could have been avoided if one player was present. Afalava would have sealed up so many of those holes. I don't doubt it for a second. I don't know why he got suspended, and I don't care why. But I hope he learned his lesson, watched the game, and cringed knowing that he is crucial to the Beaver D. He'll be back next week, will make a presence, but there are other adjustments to the D that Riley will have to make in order to shut down PState.

While it would be great to have some all american stud at QB, I'll take LM. Jonathon Smith showed us what a little heart and good aim can do. I think LM played outstanding. One interception was first tipped. I can live with that. One was a bad mistake. One bad mistake throwing to the other team is a tenfold improvement over last year. And the receiving corp was incredible. Sammy is back, and Morales can't seem to drop anything. Keep that sort of show up, and we're looking good.

The only criticism I have on offense is this. We need a running back. We need that go to guy. That Jackson or Yvenson. Was Riley giving Quizz and McCants a see tonight? Do we have a #1 guy going in? Both are great. I would've just liked to have seen McCants get enough touches to get into a rhythm, to put a consistent game together.

But in the end it's the D that needs the work. Certainly they had some great series, and if they can tighten that up some more, we have a legit shot at going into Beaver Stadium and claiming it.

OSU DOMINATES Stanford (Game Open Thread)

Jake — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:08:17 -0000

If you're watching the game near a computer, join our chat in the comments!

GO BEAVERS!!!

NEW: Event Tagging (Use It)

Jake — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:16:54 -0000

While some of the features of Building the Dam 2.0 might be considered 'take it or leave it,' depending on your preferences, one of the new site functionalities we'd really love to see everyone take advantage of is Event Tagging.

When composing a Fan Post or Fan Shot for BtD, authors will always have the option to tag the story using the various mechanisms on the right side of the posting page (shaded in blue). Note that one such mechanism is labeled "Events"; with it, an author can tag his story to a specific game/event in the site database. The beauty of the system is that all content tagged to any given event will appear on that game's event page.

For example, I've now tagged several stories to the Oregon State- Stanford game. By clicking on the "COMPLETE COVERAGE" button at the bottom of the "Next Game" box in the left sidebar of BtD's main page, a reader will be taken to the contest's event page.

Of all the tagging tools available on this site (there are many, they all are wonderful), this is by far the most useful. This site is driven in no small part by community-generated content; if all of you start event tagging when posting an item relating to a specific game, we'll all be the better for it by being able to browse pre-sorted game-relevant content in one tidy page.

And now, in case you struggle with basic drop down menus, some pictures. Hooray.

It will show Oregon State's schedule, of course.

The only possible confusion might arise from that top right menu, which you'll need to change to 'Upcoming' for a game not yet played. If, however, you're writing on a Monday about the past Saturday's game, you'll leave the menu in the 'Completed' slot and choose the appropriate game before clicking 'add'.

It's that simple. Thanks in advance.

Stolen with permission from Burnt Orange Nation.

Top 5 Games from 2007

OrState GoBeavs — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:16:20 -0000

Here are, in my opinion, the top 5 games from 2007.

1. Stanford @ #2 USC, October 6th

Talk about the upset of all upsets in a season chock full of upsets. Stanford was a 41-point dog when it traveled to the Coliseum. USC was 4-0 and #2 in the nation. Stanford was 1-3, and a far cry from a team ready to upset the Trojans. On a 4th and goal with 49 seconds left, little know QB Tavita Pritchard threw a TD pass to Mark Bradford to tie the game 23-23 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtoqK0iAflI. The PAT was good, and the nation went into a frenzy (especially LSU. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N1iUV-yIIY). The Cardinal win 24-23.

2. Civil War, Oregon State @ UO, Dec 1st

Despite having a million or more injured starters, both OSU and UO came to play and that made for another classic Civil War. After a slow start that left them down 21-7 (and a questionable call from being down 28-7), UO bounced right back with a couple of fumble recoveries that resulted in TDs. Tied 21-21 at halftime, the 2nd half would prove no different, finishing crazily in regulation (even the best UO fan has to wonder what referee would make that "jumping" call when he didn't even block it), 28-28. Then in OT, the teams exchanged field goals to take it to a 2nd overtime, when freshman WR James Rodgers ran his patented fly sweep, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XtHXXXbTzk which looks eerily similar to this classic Civil War finish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKJVjdvZo3I). After the Beavers stopped Jonathan Stewart on a 4th and 1, the Beavers left Eugene with a 38-31 victory.

3. #6 Cal @ #11 Oregon, September 29th

With all the nation watching, ESPN's Gameday made their way to Eugene for the 1st of 2 times last year. A mostly defensive game, halftime was a 10-3 score in favor of the Ducks. Both teams exchanged TDs in the 3rd quarter to start the 4th 17-10 Oregon, and that's when Cal exploded. Two quick TDs from Cal put them up 24-17 with 12 minutes to go. Oregon responded with a score of their own on a 91 yard drive that lasted 3 minutes, capped off by a 1 yard Dennis Dixon run, tying the game 24-24. Not to be outdone, Justin Forsett had a 1 yard TD run of his own with just over 3 minutes to play. Down 31-24, the Ducks drove downfield and with 22 seconds to go, Dennis Dixon hit Cameron Colvin, who then fumbled trying to reach the goal line after he was hit by Marcus Ezeff. The ball went out of the end zone, ruled a touchback and Cal possession. Cal escapes Eugene with a 31-24. The masses then flock to Rennie's to forget about the game

4. Oregon State @ #2 Cal, October 13th

The Beavers were 3-3 and not really looking like a team ready to do anything. Cal was 5-0, fresh of the game mentioned above. After an injury forced Nate Longshore to the sidelines, Kevin Riley stepped up and played a good game. However, the Beavers wanted it more. With Cal poised to take over the top spot after #1 LSU lost, they choked on the biggest stage. With a little more than 3 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, and Oregon State up 20-14, Cal got to the goal line for a 2nd and goal. But it wasn't to be, as the Beavers stopped them 3 times to force a turnover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqeRpsuHEaE. With the Beavers up 31-28, Cal drove down the field. In guaranteed field goal position with 14 seconds left, Cal decided to try for the end zone before attempting a field goal; that's when a simple freshman mistake cost Cal the game and #1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-emgrBvpfs&feature=related Hey Cal, that's your starting QB this year! HAHA

5. Apple Cup, Washington State @ Washington, November 24th

While this game didn't mean much in terms of anything important, it was still a rivalry game with a great finish. UW started hot with Wade Penner returning the opening kickoff for a TD (talk about getting the crowd fired up for a rivalry game!) Tied 28-28 heading into the 4th, this was looking like it was going to the end, and it did. Washington struck first on a 1 yard Locker run, but WSU responded with just about 7 and half minutes left on a 40 yard TD pass from Alex Brink to Brandon Gibson. After a few punts exchanged, Washington State got the ball on their 16 with 2:18 left. Alex Brink completed a couple of passes and drove them to the UW 35 with 0:37 left. Then, it happened, Alex Brink threw a 35 yard pass to a WIDE open Brandon Gibson for the game winning TD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U124bcAt3qE&feature=related. When Locker's pass was intercepted in the end zone, the Cougs won 42-35.

I didn't realize how great last year actually was until I started recapping the games. Also, notice how in all these games, the away team won. This is what makes the Pac 10 great- anyone can beat anyone on any given day. Note: I was going to add highlights from the Cal-UO game, but they were all 7 minutes long and mostly just Cal oriented, so if you want to see the final play, just watch that, go make some popcorn, and then come back and you'll see it. Less than a week until the season gets started, I CAN'T WAIT!

Ranking the Pac10 Coaches

OrState GoBeavs — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:27:51 -0000

For the sake of this ranking, I am not going to put Paul Wulff (WSU) on this list because I have no idea where he would rank. It'll from the other 9 coaches that have coached at least a couple of seasons in the Pac10 (not necessarily with their current teams, such as Nieuheusel and Erickson)

1. Pete Carroll, USC

Hard to argue with a 76-14 record (average of more than 10 wins a year), 7 consecutive conference championships, 2 National Championships, 3 NC games, and what, 7 consecutive top 4 finishes, something like that. Not to mention he has a stronghold on recruiting. It doesn't matter if USC is 100 deep at QB, you better bet the best QB from southern California is going to be a Trojan.

2. Dennis Erickson, Arizona State

158-67-1 overall college coaching record. Yep, that's right. The guy has been around long enough to have experienced a tie (not too many of those coaches left). Add 2 National Championships and you have a premier coach. Erickson is said to be the guy that might be able to finally awake the sleeping giant at ASU and dethrone ol' Petey. We'll see.

3. Mike Riley, Oregon State

There isn's a greater example of doing more with less. While his record may not be all that impressive (47-38) and he doesn't have a big name bowl victory on his resume, he was the guy who kick started a program that had endured 28 consecutive losing seasons. His 2nd stint back has been pretty good, with 19 wins over the last 2 years. He consistently gets the best out of 1 and 2 star players.

4. Jeff Tedford, Cal

Aside from last year's meltdown (sparked by losing to unranked OSU when they were poised to take over the #1 spot!), Tedford has amassed an impressive 50-26 record, with 1 conference co-championship. His teams always seem to be prepared and ready, and expect no different for the future. Cal will be poised to be a top 15, top 10 team yet again.

5. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA

It was a struggle putting a guy who has a Pac10 Championship and Rose Bowl under his belt, but remember that at Colorado and UW he did so with a lot of violations. We'll see how he redeems himself at UCLA, but I think for right now #5 is a good spot.

6. Jim Harbaugh, Stanford

Hard to tell exactly where he's going to go with Stanford, but taking a team that was the laughing stock of the Pac10 the last few years and getting within a couple games of a bowl, all the while beating USC and Cal in the same season, hard to say the guy won't be a winner.

7. Mike Belloti, Oregon

Hear me out before you people start getting pissy. Yes his record is impressive (106-52, 1 Pac10 Championship, been to two BCS bowls). But Oregon fans, this is not the guy that is going to take your program to the next level. You have the best facilities in the nation, one of the top stadiums (I don't think so but ESPN the Mag does, so I'll run with it ha), and yet fail to win 10 games a year consistently. Yes, last year was a tough break, and he was probably on his way to coaching in a National Championship game, but 1 good year every couple years with years of mediocrity with all that UO has, isn't the indicator of a good coach. In my honest opinion, you fire Belloti and make Chip Kelley the head coach before he gets a huge money offer and goes elsewhere. That's the coach that takes you to the next level.

8. Ty Willingham, Washington

I hate putting Ty here. One of the class acts of college football coaching, does everything right. And I hated Notre Dame for the way he treated him, after all that he did at Stanford (those old enough to remember know how good Stanford was when he was there). But the guy has had his 5 years now, and he has one of the top QBs in the nation, and this is the year that UW needs to put up or get out.And honestly, I don't know if Willingham is actually a bad coach, or if he just coached when the Pac10 was as strong as it has ever been.

9. Mike Stoops, Arizona

If I could, I'd put Mike Stoops at 10th (or even 11th haha). He is by far one of the worst head coaches in the country. The guy has recruited amazing talent, amassed a pretty solid coaching staff, and still has only a 17-29 record (average of close to only 4 wins a year). Arizona has gorgeous weather and co-eds, yet still can't manage to win.

As I wrote this, I realized how many talented coaches there are in the Pac10. And when Ty Willingham and Mike Stoops get fired after this year, you better believe UW and UA are going to pay big bucks to get their programs back on track. This will be good for some teams, bad for others. Let's just hope your favorite program doesn't get lost in transition.

Pac10 in Fives (cont)

OrState GoBeavs — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:11:13 -0000

To start us off, we'll do some *other* top 5s

Top 5 Pac10 Stadiums

1. Autzen Stadium, UO

I hate admitting it, but Autzen is a sweet stadium and an unclassy crowd (no offense, it makes for a great football crowd). And besides, if I didn't admit Autzen as #1, I'd probably be raped and murdered next time I was in Eugene.

2. Husky Stadium, UW

Maybe not of late, but have any of you ever been to Husky Stadium when the Huskies are even mediocre? The place gets wild and loud, and probably would take over Autzen as the loudest stadium. 20,000 more people than Autzen helps. Plus, how gorgeous is that view of the water?

3. Rose Bowl, UCLA

Does this really need an explanation? The only issue I've ever had with UCLA playing in the Rose Bowl is a stadium 2/3 full. But UO fans will joke that 2/3 full in a 100,000 seat stadium is better than 2/3 full Bean Burrito Potato Salad Turkey Jerky Stadium.

4. The Coliseum, USC

Just walking into the run down stadium gives you chills down your spine as you think of all the greats that used to play here. Then seeing the retired jerseys reminds you. Then you hear the band play the worst, or best, song in the Pac10, depending on who you ask.

5. Martin Stadium, WSU

People may make fun, but hear me out. I know it's small (even I, a Beaver fan and resident of Reser Stadium remarked that we were playing at Pullman High School). But the close quarters of the stadium and the always sold out atmosphere makes for a fun and sometimes chilling experience. Not to mention playing in Pullman during Nov is super chilling (literally). When the Cougs are good, the stadium is top notch.

Top 5 Tailgating Experiences

1. UCLA

Tailgating at the Rose Bowl, on a golf course, in Sunny Southern Cal, what could be better?

2. Arizona State

75,000 fans, good food, gorgeous weather, and the local, ahem, "scenery" (aka Co Eds for those sarcastically retarded), make for a fun tailgating experience, which is sometimes better than the actual game, until last year.

3. Washington

Have you ever tailgated on a boat, then walked to the game? Me neither, but I bet it would be fun.

4. Oregon

The entire tailgating area right in front of Autzen is the closest thing the Pac10 has to "The Grove" at Ole Miss. I would have put it higher, but I've been giving UO too much damn credit on my blog, and it's starting to make me sick. HA

5. Oregon State

Honestly, didn't know who else to put here. Have never tailgated at Cal or Stanford. Would imagine tailgating in Watts isn't too much fun (SC). WSU has too many parking lots and the tailgating is spread out. UA is well just UA. So GO BEAVS!

Ok now to the actual football stuff

Top 5 Defensive Lines

1. USC

Anyone want to complain about this? Because USC is going to be #1 or #2 at every position. If you do complain, you're an idiot.

2. Oregon State

Returns top 2 sack leaders from last year, gets #1 JUCO D-End, should be solid yet again.

3. Arizona State

Solid group returning for one of the conference's better teams. DLine last year was one of the reason ASU was so successful when they gave up 55 sacks.

4. Oregon

Bend but don't break DLine. Many yards against last year came from passing, but rush defense was solid. It's the reason they could score so much.

5. Cal

Look for their defense to be one of the reasons the team bounces back.

Top 5 Linebacker Corp

1. USC

Seriously, don't complain. Shut up. Now.

2. Stanford

Probably the most experienced of any of the teams not named USC.

3. Cal

Good linebackers last year weren't the reason for their demise. They will be the reason for their upswing. Watch out for the 3-4 defense this year causing havoc to all Pac10 teams.

4. Oregon

Only up here because of experience, not sure how good the guys actually are. Same with...

5. UCLA

One of the few bright spots on their teams

Top 5 Secondaries

1. Oregon

Even though I'm tempted NOT to put them here, they have the most "big" names of any team. I want to argue that they gave up a ton of passing yards last year, but a lot of the time teams were behind by a lot and were throwing on every down. Won't be that way this year, we'll see how the team does.

2. USC

Could be #1, and probably will be by the end of the year, but for now, chock them here.

3. Oregon State

A ton of experience, no big names. Mean hitters and leadership are what define this secondary.

4. Arizona

Lost Casoine, but picked up a talented freshman to fill in. Other than that, they will have plenty of chances to prove themselves this year.

5. Pick Em

It was hard to pick this year's defense because I feel like a lot was lost to graduation or the draft from last year. I imagine that the Pac10 will again have solid defenses all around.

Pac10 in Fives

OrState GoBeavs — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:28:09 -0000

Saw this at Louisville's blog, so I figured I'd give it a try.

Top 5 Non-Conference Games

1. USC v Ohio State, Sept 13

Does this one really need an explanation?

2. Arizona State v Georgia, Sept 20

One of the Pac10's best last year versus one of the nation's best this year

3. Oregon State @ Penn State, Sep 6

Could this finally be the early season game that OSU wins to prove itself?

4. Washington v Oklahoma, Sep 13

Huge game for Ty Willingham's job; does a close loss earn the fans' respect? Doubtful

5. Cal v Michigan State, Oct 30

A chance for Cal to rebound from last year's disaster with a win over an improving program

Top 5 Conference Games

1. USC v Cal, Nov 8

Cal will rebound this year, and this could decide the Pac10's champion

2. Oregon State v Oregon, Nov 29

I might be a little biased here, but very well could determine 3rd place in the Pac10, and potentially a Holiday Bowl birth

3. Arizona State @ Cal & @USC, Oct 4/10

Back to back weeks at two of the Pac10's best could prove whether ASU are contenders or pretenders

4. Cal v Washington, Dec 6

May be the game that determines Ty Willingham's fate

Top 5 QBs

1. Jake Locker, UW

2,000 yards passing, and the conference's leading returning rusher, on the conference's worst team. We can only imagine what he would be doing if he were in Eugene

2. Willie Tuitama, UA

Despite his constant concussions, he threw for over 3600 yards (62%) and 28 TDs last year, on one of the conference's worst teams. I bet UCLA is wishing they had him.

3. Rudy Carpenter, ASU

Found his freshman year swagger last year (thank you Dennis?), throwing for over 3,200 yards and 25 TDs. All while getting sucked upwards of 1,000 times. If the OLine improves, he could be in the running for #1 QB in the Pac10

4. Mark Sanchez, USC

Stepped in nicely for JDB last year when he was hurt. Threw for 60% and had a QB rating of 123. If he cuts down on the interceptions (5 last year in limited time), look for USC to win the Pac10 yet again

5. Mitch Mustain, USC

Lack of QB depth in the Pac10 this year (or unknowns, ahem I refuse to put Costa in here when he hasn't play significantly) allows me to put the backup here. Threw for close to 900 yards and 10 TDs in split time as a freshman at Arkansas. Oh yeah, and he was 10-0, and led Ark to the SEC Title Game.

Top 5 RBs

1. Stafon Johnson, USC

Averaged 6.9 yards a carry last year and ran for 5 TDs. Will probably split time this year with...

2. Joe McKnight, USC

As a true freshman, displayed Reggie Bush-esque signs of greatness. The complete skill football player. Expect another good season from him

3. Jeremiah Johnson, UO

Filled a good role for UO with JStew. Average 6.4 YPC and had 5 TDs. Expect better stats from him now that he is the go-to guy.

4. Keegan Herring, ASU

Ran for over 800 yards and 5 TDs while splitting time with Ryan Torrain. An improved team should help his stats.

5. Nic Grigsby, UA

Underclassman who ran for 700 yards last year. If the offense is gonna improve like Ted Miller thinks they are, then look for him to improve as well.

Top 5 WRs

1. Mike Thomas, UA

1,000 yards and 11 TDs last year, the short receiver from UA is quickly becoming Tuitama's go-to guy

2. Sammie Stroughter, OSU

In 2006, he led the Pac10 in receptions and receiving yards, while catching 5 TDs. He's back for his final year and is the focal point of an offense that will be more dynamic.

3. Mike Jones, ASU

769 yards last year, but more importantly 10 TDs. Huge part of Carpenter's success.

4. Jaison Williams, UO

Would be higher on this list, but he drops waaaaaay too many balls. I hear they call him 50/50 in Eugene (you can figure out what that means)

5. Patrick Turner, USC

Tall, lanky, fast. If he doesn't drop so many balls, look for him to be one of the top receivers statistically in the Pac10. If not, plug in here Damien Williams from USC.

Top 5 Offensive Lines

1. USC

All American after All American. When is the nonsense from USC going to stop?

2. Oregon State

Has one of the meanest (Jeremy Perry) and one of the most fundamentally sound (Adam Speer) OLineman in the Pac10. Not to mention the great coaching staff. If this line stays healthy, watch out. If it doesn't, uh-oh.

3. Oregon

Senior Max Unger headlines an offensive line that helped Dennis Dixon become a Heisman trophy contender. They're going to need to do the same to help their inexperienced QB get some confidence early on.

4. Cal

Part of the meltdown, I believe, was due to Cal's injuries on the Offensive Line. I imagine Tedford has now addressed this.

5. The rest are all pretty inexperienced and/or crappy.

I'll try and do the defense/special teams tomorrow unless someone else wants to take it on!

GO BEAVS!

Howzabout that Chad Ocho Cinco fellow?!?

timbo — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:45:34 -0000

A small tidbit in the Sunday Oregonian (8/17/08) had me snorting pancake crumbs all over the table...

Bengals' reciever (and former Oregon State standout) Chad Johnson has filed papers to legally change his name to Chad Ocho Cinco, after his number, 85.

Pure hilarity, quite a great way to dodge those onerous fines from The Commish. It's only a matter of time before the Portland Trailblazers' ballyhooed Spanish rook Rudy Fernández changes his name to "Rudy Rudy" (or better yet: "Rudy Rudy Rudy") to get his favored first name on the back of his jersey around NBA regulations.

Anyway, assuming that this bit on Chad Ocho Cinco's name change is legit and not tongue-in-cheek humor kiped from The Onion, do you think this name change is indicative that Chad Johnson is crazy like a fox or crazy as a loon?

Vote now:

Poll

Is Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson crazy like a fox or crazy as a loon?

Carter Bell's status

BaronVonCurrentEvents — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:56:02 -0000

Hi there. I blog every waking moment on McCovey Chronicles, the San Francisco Giants blog on the SB Nation network. I've been scouring the internet for news on Carter Bell. I can't find anything on his status, to tell if he's signed with the Giants or if he will continue on to Oregon State.

I loved Bell on draft day, loved his skill set and his projections. I'd really like to see the Giants lock him up.

Any info is appreciated and thank you!

Prose on Pros: Eddie Kunz, via Amazin' Avenue

Eric Simon — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:56:51 -0000

Note: Just a little over a year removed from competing with Oregon State in the 2007 Men's College World Series, former OSU closer Eddie Kunz was called up to the New York Mets on August 3rd. Since most of us do not have the best access to Eddie, I called upon Eric Simon of Amazin' Avenue who graciously provided us with some information. What follows is a report on how the Mets and Eddie are doing this season. --jake

As a penalty for signing free agent outfielder Moises Alou following the 2006 season, the Mets' first round pick -- 29th overall -- was awarded to the San Francisco Giants. All is fair in love and baseball, though, and the Mets were awarded a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds when the Indians signed Mets' free agent reliever Roberto Hernandez. That pick, #42 overall, was used to select Oregon State righty Eddie Kunz.

Kunz's selection was well-received, though many experts wondered whether he could be effective against lefties. I had a different take at the time:

The Mets currently feature a lot of flyball pitchers, well-suited to the pitcher-friendliness of Shea Stadium. Perhaps liking what they have seen so far in Joe Smith, they took Kunz as another grounder-inducing middle reliever. A reach for the first round, perhaps, considering Smith wasn't taken until the third round last year.

Or, perhaps the Mets are just a little bit superstitious: Kunz was born on April 8, 1986, Opening Day for their last World Championship team.

College relievers have been very popular draft choices in recent years because of their accelerated timetables for reaching the big leagues. Kunz was no exception to that. He signed shortly after being drafted and made twelve appearances for the Mets' rookie league team in Brooklyn, NY in 2007. The results were inauspicious, as Kunz allowed nine runs and posted an unimpressive 9-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12.0 innings of work. There were some encouraging signs, though. Consistent with his college career with the OSU Beavers, Kunz was a groundball machine in his limited professional exposure in 2007, allowing around three grounders for every flyball.

Without getting into too much detail, groundballs are desirable because they result in extra-base hits (doubles and triples) far less often than do flyballs, and they almost never result in homeruns (inside-the-parkers the rare exception). The fewer extra-base hits and homeruns you allow the harder it is for opponents to rack up big innings. Groundball pitchers also induce far more double-plays than their flyball counterparts, and we all know that double-plays are a pitcher's best friend!

Kunz began 2008 with Double-A Binghamton of the Eastern League, two rungs below the major leagues. In 44 appearances with the B-Mets Kunz compiled 48.1 innings and a terrific 2.79 ERA. He didn't allow a single homrun and racked up a groundball rate better than 3.5 (3.5 groundballs for every flyball), which is outstanding.

Most minor leaguers have to make their way through Triple-A -- the level just below the big leagues -- but an injury to Mets' closer Billy Wagner created a void in New York's bullpen and the Mets called on Kunz -- and his 60 innings of professional experience -- to fill the spot in their relief corps. Kunz wasn't made the closer, but he has appeared in a couple of games so far and there has been some talk about giving him some closing opportunities to see if he may be the Mets' stopper of the future.

A couple of interesting notes about Kunz's brief major league experience so far. He has faced seven batters to this point and has induced six groundballs to just one flyball. The flyball was especially significant because it resulted in a homerun, the first that Kunz had allowed since his freshman year at Oregon State in 2005. That's some three years between homeruns, which is just ridiculous.

With the Mets' bullpen struggling of late, Kunz is expected to play a more significant role in the last two months of the season. The Mets are in a tight race for the NL East division title, and Kunz could very well be a difference-maker down the stretch. He's got a ways to go before he can establish himself as an effective big leaguer, but with each passing day he continues to make OSU proud.

Thanks, Eric!