Michigan is Not Dodging Any Opponents

Michigan had to cancel their game this Saturday due to a rise in COVID cases within their football program.

I could see this coming from a mile away. The moment they announced that Giles Jackson was out last week with an "undisclosed injury", I thought that it seemed fishy. Michigan was one of the few programs that was handling the virus okay, but time finally caught up to them. I figure it was going to go through most teams, and it has gone through a ton of teams already. Michigan was a ticking time bomb.

The reason this feels different to me is, this is my team. I had faith in them to be able to finish their season uninterrupted. That is on me because this virus could care less who you are. It attacks everyone. But the way Jim Harbaugh talked all year, and how vocal the whole program was prior to the cancellation, and then restart, I just assumed they would make it through eight or nine games unscathed. They did not. And now, along with the Maryland game being cancelled, they may not get to play the University of Ohio State next weekend. The Big Ten has built in rules that are not the same as other conferences, and those rules put that game into question now.

I would be bummed if they do not get to play the University of Ohio State, as I am bummed they aren't playing this weekend. But next week's game is the big game, the rivalry game. And I know that Michigan had little to no shot to win this year. Hell, they haven't won in nine years, and I believe they are 1-14 in the last fifteen games against the University of Ohio State So maybe it isn't really a rivalry game anymore. That's right all you university of Ohio State fans that read my blog, I just admitted you are a much, much better football team. That is not even negotiable at this point.

But, for Kirk Herbstreit, who I very much like, to come out and suggest that Michigan and Jim Harbaugh would use COVID as an excuse to duck this game, that is as wrong as Dabo Swinney suggesting FSU did the same thing two weeks ago. Now, Herbstreit immediately backtracked, issued a very well thought out apology, and I think he just said something in the heat of the moment. He went to school at the University of Ohio State. That is his alma mater. But, with him putting that out there, now no matter what happens next week, the rest of the media is going to assume that Michigan and Harbaugh are looking for an excuse to not play the university of Ohio State. That is not cool, and it is flat out wrong. Michigan has been bad, real bad this year. I have said as much on multiple blogs. They got their butts kicked by Wisconsin. They had to go to three overtimes to beat Rutgers. They let a zero win Penn State team run all over them on their way to their first victory last week. They were shut down when MSU visited Ann Arbor. They have had as rough a year as I can remember in my fandom. But to suggest Harbaugh wouldn't put his players out there if healthy is wrong. Harbaugh is a competitor. That dude lives and eats and sleeps football. He is an eccentric guy, I will be the first to admit that. But to suggest that he would duck an opponent, no matter who that opponent is, that is not in his DNA. He will go out there and play anyone anytime. And lately, he gets beat. But still, his teams are on the field if they are healthy. This year is the biggest exception year ever. The US is being ravaged by COVID right now, and games get canceled or postponed every weekend. No one said the university of Ohio State ducked Illinois last week when they had to postpone. No one said Maryland ducked Ohio State when they had to postpone due to COVID. I haven't seen PJ Fleck's name dragged through the mud, and his team has had to cancel two games, and Michigan beat them. No one has trashed any of the SEC, ACC, Big 12 or Pac 12 teams that have had to cancel or postpone games. But, because Harbaugh is such a big personality, and he shows that with pride, people in the mainstream media look for anything to use to attack him. I am sure all the college football people, save for maybe Desmond Howard, are just champing at the bit if they have to cancel next week. I am sure the writers for Bleacher Report or Go Blue Wolverine or Sports Illustrated are praying for a cancellation so they can immediately start writing Harbaugh's Michigan football coaching obituary. They are foaming at the mouth I imagine. But, whatever happens, just deal with it.

This season is so weird. These kids, as happy as I was when they announced a restart, shouldn't be playing football right now. I was saying this weeks ago too. I have felt gross watching since they started because these kids are risking their lives to play a game for free. So if Michigan plays or doesn't play next week, it doesn't matter to me. But if more people come out and say that Harbaugh is trying to avoid the university of Ohio State, that will piss me off. Yes, Michigan is a bad football team, but they are not afraid. Not at all.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Saturday Sucked for Michigan Football Fans. Now Let's Move On

Saturday was tough.

That was a brutal way to end the regular season. Michigan got absolutely dominated in every phase of the game. They looked predictable and boring on offense. Their top ranked defense was absolutely shredded. The special teams couldn't get off punts and settled far too often, trying to play the field position game. The coaching was not good. It was horrendous on every level. The team was unprepared, feeling themselves way too much, blew a golden opportunity and played how they have played in every big game since Lloyd Carr retired, poorly. They weren't up for their biggest game of the year. They weren't ready. They thought the University of Ohio State was just going to roll over for them. They figured they were going to walk to the Big Ten title game and the College Football Playoff.

None of that happened.

The University of Michigan was embarrassed on a humongous stage in what should have been a big win for them. On paper they were the better team. On paper they had the better players. On paper they have the better coaches. But when it came to actually playing the game, they got the ass whooping they deserved. Karan Higdon, who I adore, didn't live up to his guarantee. Shea Patterson was flustered, pressured and mediocre all afternoon. The line couldn't open a hole against a team that let Minnesota and Maryland gash them for multiple big runs.

What was most frustrating for me was the defense. They could not stop anything on Saturday. What made it even more frustrating, they refused to deviate from their man coverage game plan that has worked so well all year. They stuck with it, and they got gashed again and again. I saw it in person last week, where Indiana was killing them with crossing routes. Well, the University of Ohio State has much better players than Indiana does. That much is a fact. But Michigan, Don Brown and Jim Harbaugh, also Greg Mattison and Chris Partridge, and the entire defensive staff for that matter, refused to make changes. They are usually so good at making adjustments, but for some reason on Saturday, they were too stubborn or dumb or arrogant or whatever to change. It was truly a terrifying watch for any Michigan fan.

I have been holding all this in until today because my wife and dad and brother didn't need to hear me gripe about this game. It was a disaster. It turned what was such a promising season into a massive disappointment. The one unit I have been able to count on all year really blew it. They had a major letdown at the worst possible time. It was awful. This was worse than Penn State crushing them last year. This was worse than the muffed punt in Harbaugh's first year against Michigan State. This was worse than most games from the Rich Rodriguez or Brady Hoke era. This much is true. They gave up a massive amount of yards, 62 points, probably could have been 70 plus, showed they aren't ready for primetime, were far too arrogant and got smacked in the mouth for it and got embarrassed. That is the best word.

Okay, got that out of my system.

Now for the other half of my blog today. As I stated above, Saturday was terrible for all Wolverine fans. But the talks of firing Jim Harbaugh and Don Brown need to stop. These guys are great coaches. I know Harbaugh hasn't beaten the University of Ohio State yet, but he has beaten Penn State twice, Wisconsin twice, Michigan State twice, and he is now getting to coach his recruits. Michigan was in a bad place when they hired him, and he has won 10 games three times in 4 years, and has won 38, with a chance at 39 games, in 4 seasons. While they are not a title contending team, they have gotten much better. Jim Harbaugh should not be fired. That talk is insane. The people saying that are fair weather fans. They are probably the same people that clamored for him 4 years ago. And, to those that want him fired, you just want to start over again? You want to go back to being even more mediocre again? Are you ready for more Brady Hoke style football? I'm sure as hell not. I can get just as annoyed and frustrated with Harbaugh and his stubborn play calling, but the guy is a hell of a college football coach, no matter what Tim Tebow and Paul Finebaum say.

To those calling for Don Brown's firing, they make me more angry than the people calling for Harbaugh's head. Don Brown has turned this defense into a unit to be feared. Saturday was a major aberration. It was harsh. It was an embarrassment. It was awful. But it was a one time thing. The defense had a horrible day. He called a bad game. It was bad. But what about the rest of this season, and the past 2 seasons under him? They are a fast and aggressive and solid defense. Last year, when this team was dreadfully awful on offense, the defense was why they won 8 games. His first season as the defensive coordinator, he turned Jabrill Peppers into a Heisman finalist. He has coached some of the top linebackers in college football. The guy knows defense, and he knows it well. If Harbaugh were to leave for the pros, he is not going to get fired, nor does he deserve to, I have stated to my father many times that I would want Michigan to just name Don Brown head coach. I feel like it would be a seamless transition. Sure he would need an offensive minded guy to run his offense, and I feel like being the offensive coordinator at Michigan would be a coveted job.

None of the coaches deserve to be let go. It was one very, very, very bad game. But it was one game. The talk of letting coaches go is stupid and reactionary and uncalled for. Stop it. For the people calling out the players, they need to chill the hell out. One, it is a game. Yes I was mad, and I may have said some things during the game, but after it was done, I was done being mad. The kids playing are just that, kids. They are also playing a game. I am not going to let one bad game ruin my week, month or year like I used to when I was a teenager and in my early 20's. After finishing this blog, I will have gotten it all off my chest, and I will move on. Some people are going way, way too hard on these kids playing a game. Yes it was rough, but let it go. They played pretty great in almost every other game this year. No one was bad mouthing them on social media when they were trouncing Wisconsin or Penn State. This was one game, get over it. Also, if you are in your 30's like me, think about the fact that you are yelling at kids that could be your own. That is sad.

Finally, ever the Michigan fan in me, wants to say that the coverage on Fox was atrocious. The 2 guys calling the game were clearly pulling for the University of Ohio State. They would only say kind words about them. And while I know nothing really good happened for Michigan, the announcers made sure it was even rougher on Michigan fans with the way they called the game. They were terrible.

What made all the sports media worse was all the love they were giving Urban Meyer. The fact that companies like Fox and ESPN are going to spin this one game as some kind of redemption for him is disgusting. Jemele Hill, who despises Michigan by the way, tweeted during the game something along the lines of, "the media will try to spin this as a redemption story for Meyer, but let us not forget he tried to cover for a domestic abuser. No one win will ever heal the pain that the abused family is going through". I couldn't agree with her more. Urban Meyer is a liar. He is a cheater. He has vouched for Aaron Hernandez. Everywhere he coaches, the moment he leaves, the program is left in shambles. Also, people love him while he is there, but the moment he is gone, they seem to hate him. All the shots of him trying to quell his "headaches" were nauseating. He is an actor. He wants people to feel bad for him. He wants people to talk about his "health problems" so when he leaves, that is the reason why. Also, if he really does have this big of a problem with his health, why is he still coaching? That is wrong. Shame on him for risking his health and family so he can look good on TV. His actions on the sidelines this season have been laughably bad. Even if he really does have this "headache" thing, I feel zero sympathy for him. He is a loathsome human being.

With all this being said, Saturday was bad. Michigan got smashed. They got the beating they deserved. But, don't paint Urban Meyer as some kind of hero. He is a disgraceful human being. Also, Jim Harbaugh and Don Brown and the entire Michigan staff, I am still behind you guys. Things will turn around soon, hopefully. As for the Wolverine players, you had one bad game. Let it got and get ready for your bowl game. Try to go out and get a win, especially the seniors, to forget about Saturday's disaster. Don't let this game beat you twice. That is what makes me most excited, to see how you respond. You have had an okay season. You have a chance at 11 wins. You can set the tone for next year. Go out and do it after you find out what bowl game you get. Make it count. I have not lost faith, nor will I ever. I love Michigan, I love the Wolverines, I love the staff and players. I still, and always will, have faith. This can all be turned around. I truly believe that.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Why does Ty care som much about a football game. Check out the X Millennial Man Podcast to learn how technology, and irrational love, makes a fan feel sick about their favorite team.

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Urban Meyer Got Away With It, Again

Where Meyer's coaching career belongs. Along with OSU football and the NCAA.

I know that I promised to do my NFL postseason pick, award winners and Super Bowl champs today, but after what happened with Urban Meyer and the University of Ohio State last night, that needs to be addressed.

First off, I am disgusted and disturbed by how corrupt and meaningless the entire NCAA is. They are a futile corporation that only cares about money and their "brand". If this incident happened at any other school, save for Alabama, the NCAA would have stepped in and made sure that the coaches, the AD and the president of the school were all fired. If this was at Michigan or Clemson or Tennessee or TCU or Oregon or, insert any big name university here, they would have done everything in their "power" to make sure something happened. It is truly disgusting that because this is the University of Ohio State, and because the name Urban Meyer is attached, the NCAA let them do the investigation. I read a tweet last night, I wish I remembered who it was, and they said, "shocking that an investigation into Ohio State, done by Ohio State concluded with a minimal suspension to Ohio State". This was a perfect response.

I think most of us knew, at least those of us that watch college football on the regular, knew that Urban Meyer was going to get off scott free. Now I know, he has a three game suspension but come the hell on, that is a slap on the wrist. He misses games against Oregon State, Rutgers and TCU. TCU is the only team that has even a minimal shot of knocking them off. This is just as bad when a player beats up his significant other, and they get a 3 game suspension in the NFL. Also, Meyer still gets to coach practice after week one. He will only be unavailable to be on the sideline for 3 games. He will be able to coach and talk to all players after the first week.

That is appalling.

It is clear that people in Columbus and in the NCAA only care about one thing, and that is their football program being a success. They don't care about safety of women. They don't care if a former coach was knowingly abusing his ex wife and taking lewd photos at the White House. They don't care that their current coach is trying to find a way to permanently erase text messages that could lead to a whole other story. They don't care that not one single person at the University of Ohio State has simply said "sorry" to Courtney Smith. They don't care that Meyer has tried to turn himself into the victim. They just care that the good ole Buckeyes keep winning them some football games.

That is disgusting.

Urban Meyer's press conference last night was an embarrassment. As I said, he painted himself as the victim. He said he followed his head and not his heart, and that is pure bull shit. When asked about Courtney Smith, he said, "we wished it hadn't come to this". When pressed about how he would go on, he acted arrogant and like he did nothing wrong. It is pretty clear that he is a scumbag. He was a scumbag at Florida, where his buddy Zach Smith worked with him, and he also constantly sided with a murderer, and he is still a scumbag today.

And no, this is not my Wolverines bias coming into play. I would be equally disgusted if this happened to Michigan and Jim Harbaugh. I would have a shit ton of clothes and shoes and shorts to get rid of, and I would also have to get a tattoo removed. I would be embarrassed and grossed out if it happened to my team. But, dumbass Buckeye fans are probably feeling like real winners today, just like their sleazy, scumbag liar of a head coach.

This is disgusting and disturbing.

This is clear evidence that Urban Meyer and his whole football program are above the law in Columbus and the NCAA. That is scary. It was also frightening to read the story about what Buckeye fans have been sending to the guy who broke this story first. If you want to be scared and feel even worse for humanity, go read some of the things that were sent Brett McMurphy's way after he broke the story. It is terrifying. There is also a terrifying trend happening in the conference I watch the most this offseason. We obviously have the coach of the University of Ohio State football team lying to everyone and everybody about his knowledge of abuse by a former coach. We have the horrifying story that came out of Michigan State and their gymnastic program, which bled into their football and basketball program. And we have the Maryland story about DJ Durkin. This is very upsetting and makes me scared for what these coaches will do just to make some money.

We live in dark, dark times and sports used to be my outlet. Now, I cannot even enjoy that on a very basic level. What happened yesterday is awful and loathsome. I cannot believe that Meyer and Gene Smith are still employed. I'm shocked at how little they seem to care about what happened to Courtney Smith. And I'm disgusted at the fact that they got away with everything, as I predicted when this story first broke. I'm so disappointed in every party involved. This is a horrible look, and it will only get worse.

This is bad.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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We All Know Urban Meyer Will Get Away With This, Again

Fill the bag with scum and call it Urban Meyer

As we all know by now, Urban Meyer is under some serious heat for his non action, and lies, between a former assistant coach of his that was physically abusing his former wife. Apparently Meyer knew, lied about it, and now, he may be caught. But, it wasn't only him that knew. Apparently his wife knew. Apparently other coaches knew. Apparently, the abused wife is now speaking out, and she claims some of the higher ups at the school, like the AD and president, all knew.

This is bad, bad news. This is so much worse than what Jim Tressel did while he was the coach there, and I despise that man with every breath in my body. But, this story has nothing to do with my disgust for the University of Ohio State. Everyone knows that I loathe that school, that I am a Michigan fan through and through, that I root for only one Big Ten school. This story frightens me because I fear nothing will come of it. 

I don't think the University, the media or the boosters and all others involved with the school will do a damn thing about it because Urban Meyer is a "winner" in their eyes. In Columbus they clearly only care about one thing, and that is the University of Ohio State football team winning games and titles. They have proven this time and time again. When Tressel was there, he had a QB, his name escapes me now, who was caught stealing computers, and he missed a meaningless early season game on his way to winning the Heisman. Their star QB the past couple years, JT Barrett, was caught on camera driving drunk and asking the police, "don't you know who I am". AJ Hawk, a former standout linebacker, said on national TV, "you don't come here to go to school, you come here to play football", and he was praised. That third string QB from a few years back, tweeted, "people don't come to watch me play school". Terelle Pryor, and some of the guys from his class, traded tattoos for memorabilia. All of this stuff that has piled up against them over the years has led to nothing. Sure, they had one bad season, where they went 6-7, and maybe lost a scholarship here and there, but that was it. In fact, they are looked at as an elite program led by an elite coach now. If you tune into any sports show, especially on ESPN, the commentators have nothing but glowing things to say about this "great football institution".

It's sickening.

And while the fans of this school will say, "Tressel got fired for what he did, and we had that one bad season. How can you say nothing happened?". That is a small, small price to pay, and I agree that what he got fired for was stupid, but Tressel is a scumbag, and all you fans know it. Also, you had one bad season. The very next year, your team was a top 10 team. Stop griping about Tressel.

What Meyer has done is part of a disturbing trend that he seems to get away with because he is a good coach. This isn't the first time he has been brought up as a liar and a cheater. While at Florida, he had a team that had a crime sheet that was about a mile long. I believe that he was the head coach of the team with the most arrests and suspensions in his three year tenure there. But, he suddenly had a "heart condition", and he took a year off. Florida then got sanctioned, and is a shell of what they used to be. And Meyer could care less. After his year off he took over at the University of Ohio State, and he has had a top 10 team every year. He has won a title. He has been to the playoff twice. He has had players in the Heisman talk every year. And now, he has another bombshell report on his incompetence and willingness to value winning over safety. The fact that there are text messages between him and the former coach and him and the former spouse and him and his wife is appalling. I know none of this is set in stone yet, but it seems pretty clear to anyone with eyes and a brain that he is guilty.

But, as I said at the top, I don't think any of it will matter in the long run. I feel like Meyer will get off scott free, and then the ESPN's of the world will have stories about him "overcoming an offseason of hate", or they'll use one of their favorite words, "tragedy". They will treat him just like they treat Penn State right now. Everyone at the big time media conglomerates will forget this even happened. I read a Deadspin article earlier today that basically stated, say the team loses one game, then 2, then say, 5, how soon until they reinstate Meyer? I couldn't agree more with this article. The University of Ohio State gave him some bull shit "paid with leave" deal yesterday. After this report came out, and hundreds of people were calling for him to be fired, the university deemed a paid vacation as a good enough punishment. That is the scariest part. They truly only care abut football and winning in that hell hole of a town. The dip shits that attend their home games, the grown men that paint their faces and wear jerseys of teenagers, could care less that Meyer lied in everyone's faces, as long as that team wins.

Urban Meyer is a scum bag, there is no way around it. He is grimy, he cheats and he lies. But, as long as he continues to win, the university could care less. We live in disturbing times. When a coach of a football team is higher than the law, that what makes me fear what they will let people get away with in the future. This is a disgusting and disturbing misuse of his "power", but I would bet dollars to donuts that he misses zero games, and is held as a "hero" in the eyes of big time media, especially, ESPN. This is all very gross.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not on good terms with two state capitals this week. Madison Wisconsin received his anger already this week.

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There are Only Four Rivalry Games in All of College Football

Any backyard Nerf football game is the fifth biggest rivalry.

I was out to lunch today with my daughter and my folks and the topic of college football came up between my father and I, as it almost always does this time of year. We were talking about the Purdue-Michigan game this Saturday and then moved on to some other matchups that intrigued us. I said to my dad that a big rivalry game was on tomorrow night. He asked me which game, and I told him that Notre Dame and Michigan State were playing. He kind of shook his head and asked me why I thought that was a rivalry game. I told him that ESPN, Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, pretty much every sports media site and publication always says this is a rivalry game. What he said next was pretty profound, and really speaks to the current state of college football.

My dad said that when he was a kid, and even in his early adult life, Notre Dame and MSU was not a rivalry game. He said that the 2 teams barely played each other until fairly recently. He seemed to think that the media has this hyped as a rivalry game, but in actuality, it is just another game.

We spoke more about what we each consider to be relevant rivalry games in college football. We are both big time Michigan fans, obviously. So, he asked me who I considered was Michigan's biggest rival. Without hesitation I said the University of Ohio State. They always have been and always will be Michigan's chief rival. He was happy with my answer, but asked me about teams like Notre Dame, Minnesota, MSU, and I kind of shrugged them off. Don't get me wrong, those are big games, but not as big as the University of Ohio State. They don't play Notre Dame or Minnesota every year anymore and, while the MSU game can be big, it doesn't hold the same magnitude for me as a Michigan fan. We started to look at other games that are considered "rivalry" games by some places. We both agreed that Auburn-Alabama and Army-Navy are legit, big time games. Those games are almost always as important as the University of Ohio State-Michigan game. I was even quick to say the Egg Cup, Washington and Washington State, is a big time rivalry game too.

Outside of some in state stuff, we couldn't come up with many other true rivalry games, what with all the realignment, and the state of some teams currently in college football. Take a game like Iowa-Iowa State for example. Who, outside of alumni and people that live in Iowa, really care about this "rivalry"? I know I wasn't watching, or paying that much attention to this game when it was played a few weeks ago. Sure, they have some trophy, but who really cares besides the players and coaches. My dad informed me that some people consider Minnesota-Wisconsin a rivalry game. I thought they just played each other to get some big ass axe. I didn't realize until today that this was a rivalry trophy. Some people still consider UCLA-USC a rivalry game. Not me. For my generation, Notre Dame is a much bigger rival to USC than UCLA is. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State fans might take me to task because I don't really think Bedlam is a legit rivalry game. It's a battle for Oklahoma, but it usually doesn't have the big time stakes of true rivalry games. I remember asking RD's wife, who went to Purdue, who their biggest rival was and she told me Indiana. I would not have known that in a million years. I guess it makes sense because they are both in Indiana, but a rivalry game, I don't think so.

Then I thought about some old time rivalry games that are now gone due to conference realignment. We don't get to see Texas-Texas A&M every year anymore. That's a drag. That was always a fun game to watch on Thanksgiving weekend, no matter how good or bad the teams were. Colorado-Colorado State has fallen into that Iowa-Iowa State role for me now that Colorado is in the Pac-12. Who cares about that game, including people that live in Colorado. Missouri and Kansas not only stopped playing football against each other, but they don't even play basketball against each other anymore. That is a damn shame as someone from Missouri that roots for Kansas. The used to have some great matchups back when the Big 12 had 12 teams. Penn State and Pitt only recently renewed their rivalry, but both those schools aren't what they used to be when that game would have truly mattered.

I guess when I look at the new landscape of college football, it is hard for me to see a true rivalry outside of some in state nonsense, or some made up stuff by people that just want others to pay attention to their schools. Outside of University of Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn, Army-Navy and Notre Dame-USC, what are the big "rivalry" games? Who is Florida's rival? Is it Florida State or Miami? Same for Miami. Is it Florida State or Florida? Who is Georgia's rival? Is it Georgia Tech, or some random SEC school? Who's Texas main rival now? Oklahoma? Aren't they supposed to be Oklahoma State's biggest rival? What about KU or Missouri? Who are their chief rivals? How about Stanford? Do they consider Notre Dame or USC their biggest rival? Who is LSU's most hated team? Is it Alabama? Maybe Auburn? What about Clemson? Has Louisville jumped older teams, or is it still another team from the Carolina's? It is all very muddy now in college football.

I love to watch all these games, but I want people to temper what they consider a "rivalry game". I will still tune into Notre Dame-Michigan State, but only because Michigan's game should be over by then, and the only other intriguing night game matchup to me is TCU-Oklahoma State. No other reason. I don't know, I just feel like people are making up new rivalry games just to make them up. Tell me why I'm wrong. Let me know how much the Georgia-Georgia Tech game means, or why Miami is a bigger rival to Florida than Florida State. Because where I sit now, there are only 4 true rivalry games. All that other stuff is pure nonsense.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is on the wrong side of our world's greatest rivalry, yellow or red Gatorade. We all know the true answer.

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The SeedSing 2017 College Football Preview

Before I get into my 2017 NCAA football preview, please try and do anything and everything you can to help out the people in Houston. What is going on there right now is horrifying and terrible and the people of that city need our help. You can donate at many websites, text 90999 and write HARVEY or, if you are in the area and safe, try and help others. I hope this all ends soon because this is catastrophic. No one deserves what is happening in Houston now. Go out and do whatever you can to help.

Okay, now lets get to my preview.

My 2017 NCAA football preview is going to be like my other ones. I will break down the "power 5" schools, mention some non "power 5" schools, pick the playoff, the championship and the Heisman winner. I'll pick the winner of each conference too. Okay, here goes.

I'm going to start with the Big 12. The Big 12 is about the 2 Oklahoma schools. Oklahoma is going to be good. They still have Baker Mayfield, and they recruit with the best schools in the country, and they get some of the best players. However, they lost Dede Westbrook and Semajie Perine. Those departures will be enormous. Baker Mayfield is a legit Heisman contender, but he has an entire new crew of skill players. They also lost Bob Stoops to retirement. That was bizarre. I wrote about how weird his retirement was about 2 months ago, and I am still confused as to why he walked away this year. But, Oklahoma doesn't rebuild, they reload. They will still be very good. Oklahoma State is going to be absolutely lethal on offense. Mason Rudolph is going to put up incredible numbers. This year will be Oklahoma State's best chance to knock off Oklahoma. They have a stacked offense. Their defense is kind of suspect, but in the Big 12, defense is sometimes optional. I have seen some websites and other publications say that maybe TCU can compete, but that all depends on Kenny Hill. If he looks good, they could be a 10 win team. If he falters, they will be lucky to be .500. They also have a very shoddy defense, which used to be their calling card. Texas is welcoming Tom Hermann as their new head coach, and I think some people have a bit too much optimism. I'm a little more pessimistic. They have a lot of newer starters that need to learn an entire new offense. I don't doubt that Hermann can turn it around, I just think it may take 2 or 3 years to get his type player. Their defense is atrocious too. Baylor is about to get hammered, as they should, with NCAA sanctions. That school's football program is filled with scumbags. They deserve all the bad things that are coming their way. Kansas may win 4 games this year, which would be a massive improvement, but they are a basketball school. That much is obvious. Iowa State is very mediocre. Texas Tech will score a lot of points, but they will give up more. I think that the honeymoon with Kliff Kingsbury is over. He is firmly on the hot seat. Kansas State will play hard, but they just don't have the talent to be hyper competitive. West Virginia may surprise some teams, but they are the epitome of a 7-5 team. They always start out hot too, but flame out. Expect that this year too. I'm going to go ahead and give Oklahoma State the nod in the Big 12 this year. Oklahoma has too much to replace, and they play a few good teams outside of their conference schedule. They also, inexplicably, lost their head coach. This is Oklahoma State's best shot to win the Big 12.

Lets now move to the very overrated SEC. As long as Alabama is in this conference, and they keep getting the best recruits, I'm going to go with them. They are the preseason number one. I know that they lost some guys on offense and defense, but they always do. They always have some blue chippers ready to take over for some first round draft pick. They lost that monster D-lineman to the draft, they have D'Shawn Hand to replace him. They lost OJ Howard, but they have Steven Ridley and some 5 stars ready to step in at tight end. They also get Jalen Hurts back. That kid was great last year as a true freshman. He looked so poised and composed. He is going to make a tremendous leap. Look, I hate Alabama, but I cannot deny their greatness. LSU should be good, but this is the first full year under Ed Orgeron. I now they looked different at the end of last year when he took over for Les Miles, but teams now have an entire offseason to prepare for him. They do have Derius Guice, and he looked awesome in his playing time behind Leonard Fournette last year. He filled in great for him when he got hurt. LSU also has a very stout defense, as always. The question marks for them are all the same. How will their QB play? Can they utilize their receivers properly? Will they choke in big games? Time will tell. I think they will be better than last year, but I still think Alabama is better. Auburn is back to being an 8 or 9 win team. They run the ball exceptionally, but they have no passing game whatsoever. Their defense is fine, but just fine. Gus Malzahn may not be the great head coach that they thought they got a few years back at Auburn. Georgia has some great running backs, mainly Nick Chubb, but their QB situation is not ideal. They had a 5 star kid start last year, and he looked like a freshman more than a star. They signed some other 5 star kid this offseason, and they are in a battle still to see who is going to be the starter. I'd stick with the kid from last year, but the fact that he is in a battle is a bad sign. They do have a decent defense, and Kirby Smart will turn them into a top 15 overall defense soon. Georgia may be looking at another 8 win year, but look out for them in a year or 2. Ole Miss is a mess due to their creep of a former head coach. They are going to get crushed by the NCAA. I'm sick of all the Tennessee hype every year. I do not believe one thing I hear from that team during the offseason anymore. Their coach should have been let go last year. Florida has a great defense, but that offense leaves a ton to be desired. They did get Malik Zaire to transfer there, and he could help them a lot, but he hasn't had a ton of time on campus. Their defense will keep them in every game, but they need that offense to get up to speed. Arkansas will be highly pumped up during the offseason, blow some games and finish 7-5 or 6-6 again. That is the Bret Biliema way. Texas A&M is wildly inconsistent, and they just lost Myles Garrett. They will most likely win 7 games again. Then there are the mid level to bottom feeders. The Missouri's, Vanderbilt's, Mississippi State's, South Carolina's and Kentucky's of the SEC. They may all be .500, but that is because they will schedule 3 cupcakes, and then beat up on each other. The upper tier SEC teams will hammer these teams. Obviously I have Alabama, no matter who they play in the SEC title game, to win the SEC.

The Pac 12 is down. The Pac 12 may be worse than the ACC now. Sure, Washington, USC and Stanford are highly rated. Hell, I have seen some people pick USC to win it all. But, I remember the last time USC had all this hype. They finished 7-6. This USC team will be better though. Sam Darnold is legit. He is very, very good. He is all around solid, even exceptional. They have some good skill guys too, and a pretty good defense. But, I'm always wary of a team that was going to fire their coach early during the last season, then playing really well down the stretch, then getting all the offseason accolades. Those teams never seem to live up to the hype. Washington was in the playoff, but we all saw what they looked liked against real competition. Alabama destroyed them. That game wasn't even close. They have an incredibly easy out of conference schedule, and they will win double digit wins, but when they have to face the big teams, they just can't match up. Their QB is back, and he will put numbers, but not against the top teams. I really like Stanford, and they completely dominated a much worse Rice team this past Saturday. They ran up and down the field on them and they stopped everything Rice tried to do. Stanford is going to be very good, but when will they have that one game when they blow it? It has happened for the past couple years. But, David Shaw might be one of the most underrated coaches in football. He is great. I do not know what happened to Oregon last year. They cleaned house, and I do like the hiring of Willie Taggert, but this team is playing a ton of new players. They might not be the hyper fast offense that we have all become accustomed to. And their defense might be worse than most of the defenses in the Big 12. Utah is solid, but they will only win 7 or 8 games. They have to replace a lot. They are kind of like the Kansas State of the Pac 12. They play hard, but they just aren't as talented as the upper echelon teams in their conference. UCLA is average. Josh Rosen is not the next great QB. They don't really have hyper athletic skilled players. Their defense is average. This is a 7 win team at best. Jim Mora Jr may be gone after this year. California is the Texas Tech of the Pac 12, but they give up more points. Arizona is learning that Rich Rod may not be the great coach he was when he was at West Virginia. This team has really faded in the last 2 years after climbing into the top 15 in Rich Rod's first year. Washington State might surprise some people. They have a tremendous offense, and their defense, if they need to, can make plays. Mike Leach is an odd dude, but he is an offensive mastermind. Washington State could win double digit game this year. And if they don't, they will be in every game. Colorado played very well last year, making it to the Pac 12 title game, and I expect them to continue being a competitive team in the Pac 12. They are on the up swing, but they need to break in a new QB and other new skill players. Arizona State's time as a "perennial top 25 team" never really came, and they are just a run of the mill team that has some wild uniforms. They will continue to be a 6 or 7 win team. I also despise their coach. Oregon State has gotten better the past 2 years, but they are still a ways away from being at the top of the conference. USC will get all the talk, but I like Stanford to win the Pac 12 this year. They need to replace a guy like McCaffery, but that should benefit them, as they won't be so reliant on one player. They will be a full team, as opposed to one guy being the focal point. I also really like David Shaw. He is, by far, the best coach in the conference.

The ACC is going to be much better than it has been in a long time. Clemson will take a step back, but they are the defending national champs. They have to replace a ton of production, but they have some good players ready to step in. They will not win the national title again, let alone the ACC. But, they will compete. Florida State looks like the team to beat. They have so much talent coming back. Sure, the lost Dalvin Cook, but they have Deondre Francois back, and that kid is amazing. They also have some pretty great skill guys. FSU is also stacked on defense. On paper, this team looks incredible. We will find out a lot about them this Saturday night when they open the season against Alabama. That is going to be an epic game. At least it should be. Miami is another team I like in the ACC. Mark Richt is a good head coach, and he is turning that program back to being relevant. They won't be the Miami from the early 2000's, but they are going to be very good this year. I could definitely see them win double digit games this year, and be a force in the ACC. Virginia Tech is another team on the up swing. They have a very good defense, and I know they lost their QB, but they will be able to plug and play some new kid, as long as he can manage a game. This team wins by stopping the other guys and ball control. And they have the talent to do that this year. Louisville returns Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, so you cannot count them out. Jackson kind of fell off at the end of last year, but he still won the Heisman as a 19 year old. He is a very good QB. They don't have a ton of talent on defense, but they can still manage to get stops. This team is all about Lamar Jackson, and in college football, that is just fine. Georgia Tech will be a headache, they run that triple option, and I could see them winning a few games they shouldn't. Pitt is atrocious on defense, and they lost their excellent running back, James Connor, to the NFL. They might take a step back this year. Duke is fun to watch at times, but they don't have the guys to make any real noise. Same thing with UNC. They play a fun style of offense, but they just can't matchup with the top 25 teams. NC State, Wake Forest, Boston College and Syracuse are also rans. NC State may win a game they shouldn't here and there, but they will not matter in the end. Boston College will have a very stout defense, but they will lose so many games with scores like 7-0, 10-7 or 6-3. They just can't score. FSU is the clear favorite to win the ACC, and I am not going against the pack on this one. FSU will win the ACC.

The last of the "power 5" conferences is the Big 10. I am a Michigan fan. Duh. I'm very curious/excited/nervous to see what this team will look like in 5 days. A BUNCH of people are expecting them to take a major step back. They have to replace 17 starters. That is a lot. But, all the kids there now are Harbaugh's recruits. These are the type of players he wants at Michigan. I want to see how they perform. I want to see if Harbaugh is the great coach that he has been ordained to be. Most publications pick them to finish fourth overall in the Big 10 and third in their division. I have seen their win totals range from 8-11. I would be very disappointed if they only won 8 games and finished third in their division. I think they will be better than most people are saying. I think they can win double digit games. I love that they open with Florida and that they have a tough conference schedule. But, they get Ohio State at home this year and Florida has suspended, the last I checked, 7 players for this opener. I think Michigan will be better than 8 wins. I think they should win at least 10 games. Most of the hype in the Big 10 is being placed on the University of Ohio State and Penn State, and rightfully so. Both these teams appear to be loaded. Both these teams ended the regular season strong. But, both lost their bowl games. I have much more faith in the University of Ohio State living up to the expectations than Penn State because they always have high expectations. The University of Ohio State will be fine, if they beat Oklahoma at the beginning of the year. Penn State hasn't been in the spotlight, at least not for something good, and neither has James Franklin, in a very long time. The way they ended last year seemed very, very fluky to me. Like I said, they have a very talented team, but this is a team that got scored on a ton against a very mediocre Pitt team last year. This is a team that was floating in obscurity until the University of Ohio State played their worst game all year. This was a team that got Wisconsin on their worst defensive performance of the year in the Big 10 title last year. They got a lot of breaks last year. Let's see how they do with the bulls eye on them now. Wisconsin will be very good once again. They will run the ball a ton, control the clock and let their stacked defense get stops for them when they need to. They will most definitely be a major factor in the Big 10 all year long. After those teams, it gets very murky. Who knows how good Minnesota will be with PJ Fleck as the head guy. They could be very good, they have a good run game, but how will their passing offense look and how will that defense play? Don't forget, they let Rutgers stay in, and almost win, the game they played last year. Northwestern is on a lot of "sleepers" lists, but aren't they every year? They have a good run game, but I do not buy Clayton Thorson as a legit QB threat. They also have a very mediocre defense. Pat Fitzgerald might be the most overrated coach in all of college sports. But, people seem to think this Northwestern team can make noise. I am not one of those people. Maryland has a good defense, but their offense is abysmal. They have zero play makers and they will struggle with the top teams in the Big 10. Indiana is going through a coaching change, and they need to break in a new QB. But, they always have a very good run game, and they need one because that defense cannot stop anyone ever. Nebraska is okay, but I cannot figure out what to make of this team and Mike Riley. Does he want to run the ball like he did at Oregon State, or is he going to use the spread game? Who is going to be his QB? Who is going to be their bell cow running back? How is their defense going to look? This team is a mystery. Iowa will always be one of the tougher teams to play at home. But, they have no real QB or receiver threat. They do have some good running backs, but with teams loading the box, that won't matter. Their defense will be good though because it always is. This team has 7 wins written all over them. Michigan State will not be as bad as they were last year, but they won't be much better. They do not have that crushing defense from a few years back and they have no real identity on offense. Mark Dantonio may be coaching for his job this year. If they get 7 wins, which I think they can, he should be fine, but if they slip to 5 or 4 wins, he may be looking elsewhere for work next season. Then we have Purdue, Illinois and Rutgers. This is the bottom of the barrel in the Big 10. Rutgers will be lucky to win 2 games. Purdue is going through yet another coaching change. And poor Lovie Smith, Illinois is bad. As much as I loathe and am disgusted by this team, god damn University of Ohio State will probably win the conference. JT Barrett is a really good college QB and their defense is stout. Penn State may make it tough on them, so will Wisconsin, and Michigan, while young, should be in the race all season long.

As far as non "power 5" teams, South Florida and Boise State are about the only ones worth talking about. Notre Dame also bears mentioning, but they need to fire Brian Kelly right away, especially if that team comes out the way they did last year. They only won 4 games last year. That is unacceptable. Boise State bears a mention because they have earned it. They are always playing tough teams, beating them sometimes, and then running away with their conference. And South Florida is the Western Michigan of this year. They may go undefeated, but playing in such a poor conference and playing a weak out of conference schedule will leave them outside the top 10 all year. They are a very, very good football team though. But, no one outside of the "power 5" will make the playoff.

Which leads me to the playoff. My four teams, in order are FSU, the University of Ohio State, Alabama and USC. I think FSU will beat Alabama this weekend, take over the one spot and never relinquish it. The University of Ohio State will get in by beating Oklahoma early in the season and winning every game from there on out. I already have 2 undefeated teams in my playoff. Alabama will lose to FSU then crush everyone else on their way to another SEC title on a revenge style run. And even though I'm pessimistic about teams getting major accolades after starting out a season very bad, then finishing hot, and even though I picked Stanford to win the Pac 12, I think USC will get the nod with only one loss, where I think Stanford could have 2 losses, but still be in, and win, the Pac 12 title game. That would match up FSU and USC and Alabama and the University of Ohio State. I have FSU in a walk over USC and I have Alabama going to their second straight title game in a very close game over the University of Ohio State. And in the rematch I have FSU coming out on top once again. FSU is so very, very talented, and I think they will be your 2017-18 NCAA football champs. As far as the Heisman goes, I have Deondre Francois winning it. He will have his signature game this Saturday, and he will continue to play better and better every week of the year and run away with the Heisman.

I'll do a mid season check up, but this is what I see heading into the real opening week of college football. I cannot wait.

Ty

Editor's Thoughts - I am no where near the college football expert that Ty is, but I am still going to give my thoughts. The SEC, Pac 12, and Big 12 are very bad conferences with one or two very good teams. That means Alabama, USC, and Oklahoma will easily get into the playoff because they will bowl through their conferences and have one loss each at the very most. The fourth team should come from the Big 10, the best conference in college football, but eventual champ Wisconsin will have two or more losses. Urban Meyer will "suffer" through a 10 win season, lose to Michigan, and then retire due to "health concerns". Urban wants to run far away from Michigan in 2018 when they become an Alabama type power. That leaves the fourth playoff spot to a two loss FSU team (Alabama and a random conference game will be losses). #4 FSU will play #1 Alabama in the first round, the real national championship game. FSU will get revenge, then they will crush USC in the National Championship.

Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma will win the Heisman. Great name, premier program, and he will put up sick numbers in a the defense desert of the Big 12.

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a big man to not talk up his favorite team like he should. The Head Editor is not a big man, he will talk up the Wolverines for Ty.

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Grayson Allen is Carrying on the Blue Devil Tradition

Just try and trip me, jackass

I want to take my time today to take a crack at this punk ass Duke men's basketball player, Grayson Allen.

This kid is a world class asshole. He looks like every whiny, over priveledged arrogant white kid that has played basketball at Duke. The problem with him, he isn't even in the top 25 or 30 or kids that have played at Duke. He is not that bad, but he is not some superstar that is going to set the NBA on fire in two years either. He reminds me of another white kid that was looked at as a "star" by some idiot analysts when he was in college and that kid is Aaron Craft. Does anyone remember this douchebag? Yes, I have a preconceived hatred for this kid because he played at that lame ass college full of cheaters in Columbus, Ohio, but he was not this "great" that so many analysts made him out to be. He was dirty, he was a cheap shot artist, he was a terrible shooter and he did not make that team any better. Not at all in fact. Without guys like Jared Sullinger on the same team as him, they would have been lucky to be a .500 team had Craft been their best option. He was an annoyance that hasn't made it out of the D League, so maybe he wasn't this all time great college player. I see a lot of the same thing in Grayson Allen that defined Aaron Craft. Grayson is a better shooter, but trade his shooting for Craft's defense, and you get the exact same player.

In addition to being overhyped, Grayson Allen is one of, if not the, most dirty players in all of college basketball. How many times does he get to trip opposing players before the ACC lays down some real punishment? Sure, they sent him a letter to reprimand him and deemed that sufficient, but that's a crock of shit. If this kid played anywhere else, save for Kentucky, he would have been suspended multiple games for tripping people. First of all, tripping an opponent on a hard wood floor could cause a very bad, possibly career ending injury. What if one of the two kids he tripped fell so hard they smacked their heads on the floor and were concussed? Would the ACC deem that enough of a problem to suspend him? Sure, if he played for Syracuse or North Carolina, but not for anyone on the Duke Blue Devils. Coach K is a standup guy and he doesn't teach his players to be dirty, right? Absolutely not, he has had some of the dirtiest players to ever step foot on a college basketball court, but no one in the main stream media has the guts to call him out.

Let's look at some past dirty players that the mighty Coach K has had. You have to start with Christian Laettener. He is one of the all time greatest college basketball players, but he was also one of the dirtiest. He'd kick players while they were down, he'd foul guys excessively hard when it was not needed, he was arrogant and could be a malcontent. Hell, ESPN even did a "30 For 30" on him called "I Hate Christian Laettener", that how epic his play and his dirty play was. It turned out to be a fluff piece because that's how ESPN rolls, but at least some got to show and tell about his dirty play. Later in his coaching career you can take guys like Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer and Steve Wojohoweski. These guys all came off like they were good, decent, respectable human beings on the court, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Battier was an arrogant, self righteous asshole while in college. Whenever he didn't get a call he thought he deserved, he would bitch and moan so much, that officials would give in. Carlos Boozer used to set dirty and illegal screens all the time while at Duke, but no one ever called him out on it because he was "playing the Coach K way". Steve Wojohoweski was an undersized little shit that fouled everyone on every play because that was his way of trying to get in opponents heads. Even recently you can look at players like Kyrie Irving, Greg Paulus and Jahlil Okafor. Kyrie Irving was a prized recruit who only played 11 NCAA basketball games, but was looked at as a star because of the nice things Coach K had to say about him. Now, he comes off as a diva. He couldn't lead the Cavs to the playoffs when it was his team and now that LeBron is back, and is the unquestioned leader and coach and GM, reports have come out that he is unhappy with his role and he wants to be traded. Sounds like a whiny, spoiled brat to me, AKA a Duke Blue Devil. Greg Paulus was so average at college basketball, he tried his hand at football and that was a disaster. He sounds like another kid that was given everything he wanted in life, no questions asked, and when the times got tough, he whined and complained instead of working hard at something else, AKA a Duke Blue Devil. Jahlil Okafor is proof positive of "getting way too much, way too soon". He won a title in his lone season at Duke, was looked at as the star of that team, was drafted in the lottery and now, he's making mistake after mistake, and is he really a good NBA player? First of all, without Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow, Duke doesn't even come close to even being in that title game, so no, Okafor was not the reason they won. Second, sure he ended up in a terrible situation, being picked by the 76ers, but that doesn't make it okay for him to get in bar fights and to play terrible, non existent defense. He is also a bad teammate. He clearly only cares about his stats and himself, AKA a Duke Blue Devil.

Now we have this Grayson Allen shithead. This kid may take the cream of the crop. He is the worst since Laettener, but at least Laettener could back it up with his game. Allen is mediocre at best and he is an extremely dirty player. This tripping nonsense needs to stop before he really hurts someone. It also makes the play look even worse than it has all season. It is childish and the fact that the ACC and Duke aren't doing anything about it makes it even worse. I'd take all the players, plus a lot more, that I mentioned above before I'd even consider this Allen kid and his childish behavior on the court makes me even more sure that I would not want him on my team.

So, no Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas and Seth Davis and Clark Kellogg, Grayson Allen is not a transcendent player, he is a malcontent, whiny and arrogant douchebag, AKA a Duke Blue Devil.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He has a love hat relationship with Duke basketball, he loves when they lose and hates when they win. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty's College Football Season Preview

Official ball from the 1988 all backyard suburban league championship

Today is August 17th, which means it is only 17 more days until the 2015 college football season kicks off.

This is the biggest "holiday" in my life. I'm as giddy as a kid opening a present when college football season starts. College football is, by far, my favorite sport. It may not be the cleanest, most ethical sport (what NCAA sport is?) yet it's so entertaining. College football, and sports in general, are the only TV show or movie that there's any real drama involved. There's dramatic TV shows and movies, but the outcome, for the most part, is positive. Not the case in sports. Sports can make you extremely happy and can depress you for hours or days, depending on how your team plays that particular day. College football, in my opinion, holds the most drama of all sports. College football also has the best die hard fans. We aren't fans, we are fanatics.

Which brings me to my main reason for my blog today, it's my college football preview. I will make this a yearly thing, so this marks the first annual, "Ty's College Football Season Preview". I'm not going to pick a preseason top 25, because that's stupid and pointless. I'm going to pick my winners of the major conferences, I'll talk about teams that can surprise, I'll give you my favorites for the Heisman and who I think the four playoff teams will be, and who I think will win the whole thing. So let's get started.

First, the Pac 12. You have the usual suspects competing for the Pac 12 title this year in Oregon, USC and UCLA. Of those three teams, I would pick Oregon to, once again, be in contention and most likely win the Pac 12 again. The transfer quarterback from Eastern Washington, Vernon Adams, will somewhat ease the loss of last year's Heisman winner, Marcus Mariota. It's always hard to replace a player like Mariota, but I think that Adams will run this offense very well, and they won't miss Mariota as much as other people think they will. USC returns star quarterback, Cody Kessler, but I don't think that Steve Sarkisian is the answer at head coach. The last time USC had this kind of preseason buzz was the year they started out as preseason number one, lost badly at Arizona State on a late Saturday night game, fired Lane Kiffin when they returned home and finished the year 7-6. I personally don't trust USC. UCLA also has to replace an all Pac 12 QB in Brett Hundley, but they have Myles Jack coming back, and they have a decent defense. They're good for 8 to 10 wins. Teams like Arizona, Arizona State and Washington will be decent too. Arizona won't be as good as last season, they played completely out of their minds, but they have a good young core and are led by the best linebacker in the country in Scooby Wright. Arizona State will be good on offense and sub par on defense, and Washington's opener versus Boise State will tell you everything about their season. If they win or win big, they will be a really good team, and if they lose, it will be a long season for the Huskies. With all that being said, I see Oregon winning the conference again this season.

On to the "powerful" SEC. I'd like to start by saying, I think the SEC is very overrated and I wish companies like ESPN would stop with the constant coverage, it drives me nuts. Anyway, here's another conference with the usual suspects. Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Georgia and Ole Miss are the class of the conference. Alabama is Alabama, they will be good for 10 wins at least, anything less is a failure. They will be good, probably great, all season. It's Alabama after all. Auburn and Ole Miss are very similar in my opinion. They both have decent offenses, Ole Miss is better with LaQuean Treadwell coming back after that horrific injury last season and they both have very good defenses. Auburn got a great hire in Will Muschamp as their new defensive coordinator. He was not a good head coach, but the guy is a defensive genius. They're also helped by the addition of graduate transfer, Blake Countess. That guy is a great cover corner. Ole Miss still has the Nkemdichi brothers, and Robert Nkemdichi is, by far, the best interior defensive lineman since Ndamonkong Suh. The guy is unblockable. Mississippi State has their QB, Dak Prescott, back and he runs Dan Mullen's read option to perfection. I don't think they'll be as good this season as they were last season, but they're still good for 8 or 9 wins. Georgia lost Todd Gurley, but replace him with Nick Chubb. They also have a decent defense. They should win at least 9 games. LSU and Arkansas are kind of a mystery to me. LSU has a lights out defense and probably the best running back in the nation in Leonard Fournette, but they have no QB capable of running an offense. Arkansas has a so so defense, but their running game is legit. Even with the injury to star running back, Jonathan Williams, they have a stable of guys willing to take his place. Missouri and Kentucky are probably your next level of teams. They'll compete, but if either of them wins more than 8 games, I'll be surprised. I'm going to have to go with Alabama to be the champ of the SEC again. Two conferences, two repeat champions.

Next, the Big 12. The Big 12 might be the most explosive offensive collection of teams in the country. First of all, there's Baylor and TCU. Baylor has to replace Bryce Petty, but it seems like anyone can come in there and throw for damn near 4,000 yards. That's how well their offense is coached and run by the players. On defense, they showed flashes, but disappeared late in games last season. Look at the Cotton Bowl loss to Michigan State last season for evidence. They do have a freakish athlete on that side of the ball. Go do a google image of Shawn Oakman and be aghast at how big and quick and nimble he is. The dude is a beast. TCU's offense is led by their explosive QB Trevoyne Boykin. He may be the best QB in the country and he runs their offense to a T. He's crazy accurate, can run if need be and makes the right decision 99% of the time. Their coach, Gary Patterson, is known for his defensive mind, but he will rely heavily on the offense this year. They shouldn't disappoint either. They should be one of the most explosive offenses in college football history. After these two teams, there's a pretty big dip. Oklahoma is Oklahoma. They should be decent, but they could also very well disappoint. That's the bummer of being an Oklahoma fan. They should compete every year, but they are on a down swing for them right now. Texas is still rebuilding, but you have to give them another two to four years before they are making any kind of noise in the national conversation. I do like their coach, Charlie Strong a lot. He doesn't take any crap from anybody. Oklahoma State has all these pending violations and recruiting problems that I think will affect their play on the field this season. Kansas State will be a 7 or 8 win team at best, and the same goes for West Virginia. I think that TCU basically runs away with the Big 12. Baylor will make it interesting, but TCU is going to be really special this season.

Next, the Big Ten. Full disclosure, I'm a die hard Michigan Wolverines fan, but that won't sway me from being biased. That being said, the story of this offseason is the hiring of Jim Harbaugh by Michigan. He's expected to return this team to glory, and with his track record, he should do that. In fairness, this season will be tough for him and my beloved Wolverines. I expect them to make a bowl game and I think they should have, at least, 7 wins, but their schedule is tough and we will see if the running game can finally live up to the hype and see if the defense can be as good, if not better than last season. Okay, I talked about Michigan. The Big Ten will be about two teams this season, Ohio State and Michigan State (ed note: That was the hardest sentence Ty has ever written). Ohio State is the defending national champions. They have three great QB's and one of them is now playing receiver(Braxton Miller). They have one of the best running backs in the country in Ezekial Elliot. But, I don't see many explosive receivers on this team and I think teams will stack the box on them. That doesn't mean they'll stop them, but they will be predictable on offense. I also think that both JT Barrett and Cardale Jones will take a step back. Cardale Jones made a mistake in not turning pro, because his stock will never be as high as it was at the end of last season. Ohio State has a great defense. Nothing more needs to be said. There defense will be hard to get points on. Michigan State has Connor Cook back and a highly aggressive, hard hitting defense. Cook is one of the top QB's in the country. A lot of his top receivers have graduated or are in the NFL, so he will have to find new guys, but he will, he's good. Their running game will be by committee, but that's what works for them. While having a great defense, they play undisciplined and get penalized a ton. They are one of the dirtiest teams I've ever watched, but that gets in other teams heads and takes them off their game. You do what works for you. I feel like this is Michigan State's last, best shot at doing something special. They better take advantage. After that we have, the aforementioned Michigan Wolverines, Penn State, Iowa and Minnesota. Penn State should be good, but they haven't really lived up to any expectations lately and their offensive line has got to play better for them to win. Iowa will be good on the ground, but the QB situation is clearer, with Jake Rudock transferring to Michigan, but we will see how CJ Beathard does as a full time starter. Their defense is in a down swing right now too. Minnesota is a good team. They're predictable, but they have an awesome offensive line and a bunch of good running backs. Mitch Leidner does exactly what the coaching staff asks him to do too. They are not great on defense and that will hold them back. Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern are teams, like Missouri and Kentucky in the SEC, that will compete, but anything more than 7 wins will shock me. It boils my blood, but I think Ohio State will win the Big 10 once again (ed note: Sorry Ty).

Lots of the same conference champs for me. I'm going to bundle the ACC and the AAC, because these are both jokes of conferences. The ACC has only three teams that are legit. There's Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson. Georgia Tech will run the triple option really well and confuse a lot of opponents, but they will take a step back from last season. Florida State is replacing Jameis Winston with Everett Golson, so they will not miss a beat, They'll be good, but blow some games late, like they always do. Clemson should be really good this year and they may make the ACC look like a halfway decent conference. Duke will be decent again, but not as good as last season. I'm going to pick Clemson to win the ACC. I don't watch the AAC at all, but I know that Cincinnati is in the conference. The only other teams I know are UCF, SMU and maybe Temple. I know UCF was good a few years ago with Blake Bortles at QB, but this conference is such a joke, I guess I'll pick SMU to win it this year. That's just a blind guess on my part and for all my AAC fans out there, sorry but your conference stinks.

As far as independent and teams from other conferences go, I'd like to talk about Notre Dame, BYU, Boise State and Marshall. Notre Dame is kind of an enigma to me. At the start of last season they looked like world beaters to me, then they fell on their faces when they played Arizona State, but closed out the season with a bowl win over LSU. They will either be a 10 win team or a 6 win team to me. It all depends on how well new starter Malik Zaire plays. If he plays like he did against LSU, they'll be good, but if he regresses or gets found out, they will be lucky to win 6 games. He has good offensive players around him, but it's always on the QB. BYU gets QB Taysom Hill back, and he's almost unstoppable running the read option. The problem lies with him though, when he got hurt, they were terrible. I believe they lost 4 or 5 straight after he got hurt. That team is completely reliant on the health of their QB and that's a double edged sword. Boise State had a down year for them and they still won 9 games and played Ole Miss tough in the opener. The same goes for them as goes for Washington. It all depends on who wins that game to see who will have the better season. I think Boise State will be good this year. Marshall almost went undefeated last season. They were led by their all world QB, Rakeem Cato, but he's graduated, and I think this marks the end of Marshall winning double digit games. It's not happening.

As far as the Heisman Trophy goes this season, I see it coming down to a lot of running backs and one QB. I think we'll see Ohio State's Ezekial Elliot, Georgia's Nick Chubb, LSU's Leonard Fournette and TCU's QB Trevoyne Boykin get invited to New York. I see Boykin winning the Heisman in an almost landslide vote. He's going to have a special season if he stays healthy.

Now the playoff.  I see the Big 12 being represented by TCU, the SEC sending Alabama and the shocker being the Big 10 getting two teams in, in Ohio State and Michigan State. I think in order of ranking the final four teams, it will be Ohio State 1, Alabama 2, TCU 3 and Michigan State 4. So, we'll get an Ohio State-Michigan State game for the third time this season and I see Ohio State winning this time and we will get Alabama-TCU in the other playoff game and I see TCU pulling away late in that game to advance to the title game. So that leaves us with Ohio State and TCU playing for the championship. I see this game being close for about 2 and a half quarters and then TCU puling away and winning by at least 17 points. So, TCU will be your 2016 NCAA Football National Champions.

Tell me why I'm right or wrong in the comment section and sit back and enjoy watching football. It will be here before we know it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The editor is eagerly awaiting his NCAA Division 3 football preview. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik

Let me respectfully explain why your team stinks: Sports Thoughts by Ty

The NBA playoffs have just recently started the second round. I'm an Oklahoma City Thunder fan and since they're not in the playoffs this year I didn't think I'd be paying as close attention as I have been. I was racking my brain the other night trying to figure out why I was invested even though my team is not playing. It finally hit me, after thirty plus years of watching sports, not only do I like rooting for my team, but I also enjoy rooting against teams that I don't care for. I've never liked any team in any sport from Los Angeles, so rooting against the Clippers was a natural fit. It doesn't hurt that they are the most arrogant, whiny, good for nothing team that's achieved ZERO in their history. They complain about every single call, either for or against them and it's gotten to the point of embarrassment to watch them. They are a very good team and if they remained focused on the goal of winning a championship that would be fine. But, the constant complaining is utterly ridiculous. Also, Chris Paul is the dirtiest player the NBA has had since John Stockton. I always assumed, at least it's the unwritten rule in my weekly pick up basketball games, that it was out of line to hit a guy in the groin region. But, apparently Chris Paul and before him, John Stockton, get off on doing this. There's video evidence of these two being repeat offenders.

My hatred of my teams rivals has bled into other sports that I watch. I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan, so I enjoy seeing the Cubs out of the race by September. I'm a Green Bay Packers fan, so seeing the Bears being led by Jay Cutler is phenomenal entertainment. But the one sport that's been very challenging to me is college football. I'm a die hard Michigan Wolverines fan. Some of my earliest memories as a child are watching Wolverine games with my father. Being a fan as a teenager was great since 10 wins was a given, as was beating Michigan State and all the UM and The University of Ohio State, as former "road scholar" Terrelle Pryor called it while committing there on national TV, were hyper competitive. But recently it's been much tougher on me. The Michigan State stuff will pass because, as the old saying goes, even the sun shines on a dog's butt some days, so that doesn't worry me. But The University of Ohio State(I will only refer to them as this because it's hilarious) is going to be tough. It will be tough that is, until Urban Meyer has another fake heart episode and has to retire again, or until he recruits another convicted murderer(that's right folks, he recruited Aaron Hernandez to Florida when he was coach there and only suspended him when the NCAA put his feet to the fire). Until that time though, it's going to be tough. The University of Ohio State is a talented team and I'm one of the skeptics about Jim Harbaugh. I hope he sticks around long enough to fix the program where he once was the star quarterback. All I'm basically trying to say is, it's okay to hate watch sports like I do. It took me thirty years to realize this and it makes me feel better. So, Thunder Up, Go Cards, Go Pack Go and most importantly, Go Blue.

Ty

Ty Kulik is the Pop Culture Editor for Seed Sing.  He does not like that his brother lives in Ohio, his least favorite sports state.