Last year, I predicted Carolina to beat Denver in the Super Bowl. Neither team made the playoffs. This year, the goal is to have my Super Bowl picks to at least be playing in January.
AFC East
Patriots: 12-4
They do have a weakness: the running game. Lawrence Maroney has always shared carries in his career, so Sammy Morris better be ready.
Jets: 9-7
I like what they did this offseason, but their schedule is a lot harder this year than last.
Bills: 6-10
They have a tough schedule as well, which is going to set them back while they have to find replacements for Nate Clements, London Fletcher, and Willis McGahee
Dolphins: 5-11
Trent Green is not the savior. It is really hard to be this old and this bad.
AFC North
Bengals: 11-5
The window is open, the offense is great, but about that defense...
Steelers: 9-7
I think it is going to take a year for Tomlin to get them completely back on track.
Ravens: 9-7
I find it hard to believe that they are going to stay as healthy as they did last year with all the aging players (Ray Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Steve McNair) they rely on.
Browns: 6-10
Sorry Romeo, the Browns rebuilding process will move forward with someone else.
AFC South
Jaguars: 11-5
I liked picking Jacksonville a lot more when they were starting Leftwich, but given his fued with Del Rio, they are probably better off with Garrard.
Colts: 10-6
Another year, another three defensive starters lost in the offseason (Cato June, Jason David, Nick Harper)
Texans: 6-10
The addition of Matt Schaub could turn that into an above average offense, but they still have too many gaping holes on defense.
Titans: 4-12
They have zero proven skill players, and losing the Pac-Man will kill the defense.
AFC West
Chargers: 11-5
If they had a real coach, they would be my Super Bowl pick.
Broncos: 10-6
I just don't see them missing out back to back seasons.
Oakland: 6-10
Their defense is good. Combine them with the Bengals offense, and they would be Super Bowl bound.
Kansas City: 5-11
You play to lose your job.
NFC East
Eagles: 11-5
If Donavan McNabb stays healthy, they are the best team in the NFL. They might be even without him.
Redskins: 10-6
I'm banking on their defense turning it back around after an embarrassing 2006.
Cowboys: 7-9
I just don't buy in to Tony Romo.
Giants: 5-11
They will quit on Tom Coughlin, who will lose his job. The question is, how early in the season will it happen.
NFC North
Bears: 10-6
Their special teams will not make the impact it did last year.
Packers: 9-7
The talented young defense will carry Brett Favre to one last playoff team.
Lions: 7-9
But they will be the best 7-9 team in NFL history.
Vikings: 6-10
Their defense great but I don't think they can overcome Tavaris Jackson and the four stooges they call wide receivers.
NFC South
Pathers: 10-6
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, I am a complete idiot. Go Panthers.
Saints: 8-8
Last year, I had New Orleans as the worst team in the NFL. Maybe I can completely underrate them two years in a row.
Falcons: 8-8
I like them as a sleeper, but I feel like they are relying on an awful lot of young, unproven players on defense (Jamaal Anderson, Chris Houston, and Jimmy Williams)
Buccaneers: 5-11
Has any coach gone from the next great one to out of a job as fast as Jon Gruden?
NFC West
49ers: 9-7
They are only good enough to make the playoffs in the worst division in football.
Seahawks: 8-8
I think Shaun Alexander is done (think Jamal Lewis), and the rest of the offense will suffer because of it.
Cardinals: 7-9
I would pick this team with this coach in this division if they were any team other than the Arizona Cardinals.
Rams: 6-10
They added a lot of free agent acquisitions, but all of them were on offense. Isn't their defense the problem?
AFC Title Game:
New England over Indianapolis
NFC Title Game:
Philadelphia over Green Bay
Super Bowl:
New England over Philadephia
Super Bowl Sleeper: Denver Broncos - I would not be at all suprised if they rallied around the death of Darrent Williams and won a Super Bowl in his memory.
September 7, 2007
August 27, 2007
The Monkey's Official Guide to the 2007 College Football Season
Preseason Top 25
1. LSU Tigers 11-2 4
2. USC Trojans 11-2 7
3. West Virginia Mountaineers 11-2 8
4. Wisconsin Badgers 12-1 5
5. Texas Longhorns 10-3 19
6. Virginia Tech Hokies 10-3 23
7. Florida Gators 13-1 1
8. Michigan Wolverines 11-2 9
9. UCLA Bruins 7-6 NR
10. Ohio State Buckeyes 12-1 2
11. Penn State Nittany Lions 9-4 18
12. California Bears 10-3 11
13. Oklahoma Sooners 11-3 14
14. Louisville Cardinals 12-1 3
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 11-2 12
16. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 9-5 NR
17. Auburn Tigers 11-2 10
18. Oregon State Beavers 10-4 20
19. South Florida Bulls 9-4 NR
20. Boston College Eagles 10-3 25
21. TCU Horned Frogs 11-2 24
22. Georgia Bulldogs 9-4 22
23. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-6 NR
24. Boise State Broncos 13-0 6
25. Nebraska Cornhuskers 9-5 NR
Other Thoughts:
ACC - Virginia Tech is the class of the league, and barring their usual late season swoon, they will be BCS bound...Tom O'Brien picked an odd time to leave Boston College - they have a good chance of winning an alarmingly weak Atlantic Division...Keep an eye on Virginia - they have a chance to be this year's Rutgers. There is a lot of talent on that Cavaliers defense and the offense picked it up at the end of the year...If Florida State wins their division or even the conference, it will be thanks to Jimbo Fisher taking over the offense...It will be a shock if Wake Forest can win the ACC. Their defense lost an awful lot, namely Josh Gattis and their heart and soul, Jon Abbate...Losing Calvin Johnson hurts the Rambling Wreck, but losing Reggie Ball helps - Taylor Bennett sure looked good in the Gator Bowl last year...North Carolina isn't there yet, but they will soon be a force in this conference.
Big 12 - Someone in the North needs to step up. They need someone to at least make the Big 12 Championship game interesting...Texas and Oklahoma will again be at the top of the conference...Oklahoma State should be improved this year. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. If they only played defense.
Big East - Pound for pound, this is the best conference in the nation. They have four legitimate Top 25 teams...In the past I have been hesitant to buy into West Virginia playing in the national title game, and this year is no different. They have the talent, but a tough Big East will make it hard for them to run the table...South Florida will step up this year. I expect at least nine wins going into their bowl game...I think Louisville is a candidate to fall from the top this year. Losing Petrino is an major blow, and while Kragthorpe is good, I don't think he is quite that good...Rutgers wasn't as good as they played last year, but they are still a Top 25 squad...Cincinnati is a major sleeper in this league. People tend to forget they went 8-5 playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and return a lot of starters. An upset over Louisville will do a lot to open people's eyes to the Bearcats...Despite their recruiting success, I think Pittsburgh will struggle once again, causing Dave Wannstedt to be shown the door.
Big Ten - This is a very polar league. The top is strong, with Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State all extremely talented this year. The rest is, well, mediocre...Bret Bielema is a big reason I am predicting the Badgers to play so well. He is a great coach. His last five years as a head coach and defensive coordinator, his record is 53-13. Kansas State was 6-6 before Bielema, 11-2 and 11-4 with him, and 4-7 after he left. I don't think this is a coincidence...Michigan has a lot of star power with Henne, Hart, Manningham and Long, but they lost a lot on defense (Branch, Woodley, Harris, Burgess, Hall)...Ohio State's defense will be outstanding once again if they can find some tackles to replace Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson. Beanie Wells needs to have a monster year...Iowa might be down enough for them to sneak up on teams, which seems to be the only thing Kirk Ferentz is successful at...Purdue will be no different than usual. Great offense, terrible defense, mediocre bowl team overall...I hope Indiana rallies and finally makes another bowl game...Can Ron Zook coach? Will Illinois win after they fire him? How does he get all these recruits?...I'm picking Minnesota as the worst team in the league. Maybe I will be wrong, but they're switching offenses drastically and don't have a whole lot of talent.
Pac-10 - This is a nasty conference...USC is outstanding. I don't need to tell you how good they are...UCLA is going to surprise this year. They have a chance to push USC for the conference crown. They return ten starters on both sides of the ball from a capable team last year...California is good once again and has an explosive offense. They are good, but they still aren't close to knocking USC off the top...Arizona could explode this year. Then again, I said that last year. A new offense could spark Willie Tuitama...Arizona State should improve under Dennis Erickson. I don't think they will break out, but they should be better...Oregon could fly under the radar and push themselves to the top of the league. If Dennis Dixon can consistently play well, they should be a Top 25 team...Oregon State doesn't have a lot to wow you, but they are very good. However, their record might not show it at the end of the year because of a hard schedule...I feel bad for Tyrone Willingham. He has, hands down, the toughest schedule in the country, and might have to make a bowl to keep his job. Jim Mora Jr. is casting a heavy shadow as defensive backs coach for the Seahawks...I will be surprised if Stanford can win a conference game this year.
SEC - LSU is the best team in the country. Yeah they lost the number one pick in the draft, but so did Tennessee the year before they won the national title...Florida is still a dangerous team, but they won't defend their title. They just lost too much talent...Auburn doesn't have anything on their team that excites me, but they are solid all around...Georgia took a big hit when they lost their outstanding cornerback Paul Oliver. Their defense, which was the strength of last years team, lost nearly everyone....Tennessee desperately needs RB LaMarcus Coker to stay healthy and stay out of trouble. Even if he does, the Vols might not have enough to keep Phil Fulmer and company off the hot seat...Darren McFadden might be the best player in the country, but it is going to be hard for Arkansas to win if he is their best quarterback. The good news is Felix Jones might be the second best running back in the conference...Don't jump on the Nick Saban bandwagon just yet. Give him at least a full year to turn that team around...Both Kentucky and Vanderbilt are much better than the average college football fan would expect...South Carolina needs to break through this year or Gamecocks fans may become impatient with Steve Spurrier's visor...One of the coaches in Mississippi will get fired this year.
The Rest - TCU will not go undefeated. I wouldn't be shocked if they are a major disappointment this year, but I stand by my #21 ranking...BYU will be very good once again if they can find a quarterback...Utah is a much better team than their record will indicate. They have a ridiculous non-conference schedule...I hope Sonny Lubick can find one more successful season for Colorado State so he can retire, but I don't think that will come this year...Hawaii will not go undefeated. When they leave the islands, they become vulnerable...Boise State will not go undefeated, and they might not even go undefeated in the WAC. Going to Hawaii is going to be tough...Southern Miss is the best team in Conference USA...Long gone are the days of Miami or Bowling Green or Toledo in the Top 25. The MAC is weak once again. Western Michigan is my prediction for the champion...Navy should be bowling yet again...Some other teams I like: San Jose State, SMU, Kent State, Ball State and Florida Atlantic. I'm not saying those teams will contend for the BCS, but I think they will exceed expectations...Notre Dame is going to struggle this year. They are back to having a hard schedule after consecutive years with it being suprisingly weak, plus they break in new players all around. Jimmy Clausen is going to be hit and hit hard if he starts the season opened vs. Georgia Tech.
1. LSU Tigers 11-2 4
2. USC Trojans 11-2 7
3. West Virginia Mountaineers 11-2 8
4. Wisconsin Badgers 12-1 5
5. Texas Longhorns 10-3 19
6. Virginia Tech Hokies 10-3 23
7. Florida Gators 13-1 1
8. Michigan Wolverines 11-2 9
9. UCLA Bruins 7-6 NR
10. Ohio State Buckeyes 12-1 2
11. Penn State Nittany Lions 9-4 18
12. California Bears 10-3 11
13. Oklahoma Sooners 11-3 14
14. Louisville Cardinals 12-1 3
15. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 11-2 12
16. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 9-5 NR
17. Auburn Tigers 11-2 10
18. Oregon State Beavers 10-4 20
19. South Florida Bulls 9-4 NR
20. Boston College Eagles 10-3 25
21. TCU Horned Frogs 11-2 24
22. Georgia Bulldogs 9-4 22
23. Oklahoma State Cowboys 7-6 NR
24. Boise State Broncos 13-0 6
25. Nebraska Cornhuskers 9-5 NR
Other Thoughts:
ACC - Virginia Tech is the class of the league, and barring their usual late season swoon, they will be BCS bound...Tom O'Brien picked an odd time to leave Boston College - they have a good chance of winning an alarmingly weak Atlantic Division...Keep an eye on Virginia - they have a chance to be this year's Rutgers. There is a lot of talent on that Cavaliers defense and the offense picked it up at the end of the year...If Florida State wins their division or even the conference, it will be thanks to Jimbo Fisher taking over the offense...It will be a shock if Wake Forest can win the ACC. Their defense lost an awful lot, namely Josh Gattis and their heart and soul, Jon Abbate...Losing Calvin Johnson hurts the Rambling Wreck, but losing Reggie Ball helps - Taylor Bennett sure looked good in the Gator Bowl last year...North Carolina isn't there yet, but they will soon be a force in this conference.
Big 12 - Someone in the North needs to step up. They need someone to at least make the Big 12 Championship game interesting...Texas and Oklahoma will again be at the top of the conference...Oklahoma State should be improved this year. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation. If they only played defense.
Big East - Pound for pound, this is the best conference in the nation. They have four legitimate Top 25 teams...In the past I have been hesitant to buy into West Virginia playing in the national title game, and this year is no different. They have the talent, but a tough Big East will make it hard for them to run the table...South Florida will step up this year. I expect at least nine wins going into their bowl game...I think Louisville is a candidate to fall from the top this year. Losing Petrino is an major blow, and while Kragthorpe is good, I don't think he is quite that good...Rutgers wasn't as good as they played last year, but they are still a Top 25 squad...Cincinnati is a major sleeper in this league. People tend to forget they went 8-5 playing one of the toughest schedules in the country and return a lot of starters. An upset over Louisville will do a lot to open people's eyes to the Bearcats...Despite their recruiting success, I think Pittsburgh will struggle once again, causing Dave Wannstedt to be shown the door.
Big Ten - This is a very polar league. The top is strong, with Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State all extremely talented this year. The rest is, well, mediocre...Bret Bielema is a big reason I am predicting the Badgers to play so well. He is a great coach. His last five years as a head coach and defensive coordinator, his record is 53-13. Kansas State was 6-6 before Bielema, 11-2 and 11-4 with him, and 4-7 after he left. I don't think this is a coincidence...Michigan has a lot of star power with Henne, Hart, Manningham and Long, but they lost a lot on defense (Branch, Woodley, Harris, Burgess, Hall)...Ohio State's defense will be outstanding once again if they can find some tackles to replace Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson. Beanie Wells needs to have a monster year...Iowa might be down enough for them to sneak up on teams, which seems to be the only thing Kirk Ferentz is successful at...Purdue will be no different than usual. Great offense, terrible defense, mediocre bowl team overall...I hope Indiana rallies and finally makes another bowl game...Can Ron Zook coach? Will Illinois win after they fire him? How does he get all these recruits?...I'm picking Minnesota as the worst team in the league. Maybe I will be wrong, but they're switching offenses drastically and don't have a whole lot of talent.
Pac-10 - This is a nasty conference...USC is outstanding. I don't need to tell you how good they are...UCLA is going to surprise this year. They have a chance to push USC for the conference crown. They return ten starters on both sides of the ball from a capable team last year...California is good once again and has an explosive offense. They are good, but they still aren't close to knocking USC off the top...Arizona could explode this year. Then again, I said that last year. A new offense could spark Willie Tuitama...Arizona State should improve under Dennis Erickson. I don't think they will break out, but they should be better...Oregon could fly under the radar and push themselves to the top of the league. If Dennis Dixon can consistently play well, they should be a Top 25 team...Oregon State doesn't have a lot to wow you, but they are very good. However, their record might not show it at the end of the year because of a hard schedule...I feel bad for Tyrone Willingham. He has, hands down, the toughest schedule in the country, and might have to make a bowl to keep his job. Jim Mora Jr. is casting a heavy shadow as defensive backs coach for the Seahawks...I will be surprised if Stanford can win a conference game this year.
SEC - LSU is the best team in the country. Yeah they lost the number one pick in the draft, but so did Tennessee the year before they won the national title...Florida is still a dangerous team, but they won't defend their title. They just lost too much talent...Auburn doesn't have anything on their team that excites me, but they are solid all around...Georgia took a big hit when they lost their outstanding cornerback Paul Oliver. Their defense, which was the strength of last years team, lost nearly everyone....Tennessee desperately needs RB LaMarcus Coker to stay healthy and stay out of trouble. Even if he does, the Vols might not have enough to keep Phil Fulmer and company off the hot seat...Darren McFadden might be the best player in the country, but it is going to be hard for Arkansas to win if he is their best quarterback. The good news is Felix Jones might be the second best running back in the conference...Don't jump on the Nick Saban bandwagon just yet. Give him at least a full year to turn that team around...Both Kentucky and Vanderbilt are much better than the average college football fan would expect...South Carolina needs to break through this year or Gamecocks fans may become impatient with Steve Spurrier's visor...One of the coaches in Mississippi will get fired this year.
The Rest - TCU will not go undefeated. I wouldn't be shocked if they are a major disappointment this year, but I stand by my #21 ranking...BYU will be very good once again if they can find a quarterback...Utah is a much better team than their record will indicate. They have a ridiculous non-conference schedule...I hope Sonny Lubick can find one more successful season for Colorado State so he can retire, but I don't think that will come this year...Hawaii will not go undefeated. When they leave the islands, they become vulnerable...Boise State will not go undefeated, and they might not even go undefeated in the WAC. Going to Hawaii is going to be tough...Southern Miss is the best team in Conference USA...Long gone are the days of Miami or Bowling Green or Toledo in the Top 25. The MAC is weak once again. Western Michigan is my prediction for the champion...Navy should be bowling yet again...Some other teams I like: San Jose State, SMU, Kent State, Ball State and Florida Atlantic. I'm not saying those teams will contend for the BCS, but I think they will exceed expectations...Notre Dame is going to struggle this year. They are back to having a hard schedule after consecutive years with it being suprisingly weak, plus they break in new players all around. Jimmy Clausen is going to be hit and hit hard if he starts the season opened vs. Georgia Tech.
August 20, 2007
Welcome to The Zoo
Welcome to the official blog for The Zoo. Your hosts Rob and the Monkey will bring you the wildest sports blog on the web. Coming soon: college football predictions, NFL playoff picks, a Zoo Podcast and probably some completely irrelevant nonsense.
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