Labor Day Pick 'Em

Labor Day is upon us again, and that means college football is here. There were some thrillers and snooze fests last night. Rutgers and Fresno State  went to OT last night when Fresno St. pulled it out and won 52-51. FSU QB Derek Carr and Rutgers QB Gary Nova both threw for 5 TD and 1 int each. Leonte Carro came down with 3 TD for the Scarlet Knights. Jadeveon Clowney did show some weakness last night. He seemed gassed out for South Carolina, but the Gamecocks still managed to hang on and beat UNC after a lightning delay. Ole Miss and Vanderbilt had an epic game that showcased some young stars and possibly one of the best WR in SEC history. Vandy WR Jordan Matthews had a great game, but Ole Miss managed to rally and win 39-35 against the Commodores. #24 USC beat Hawai'i 30-13 in what was a slugfest. The Trojans' defense looked sharp and only let up 11 points (Hawai'i recorded a safety.) The QB play was sloppy for USC. It seems like Cody Kessler is too short, but Max Wittek didn't look great either. Lane Kiffin will have to assess this problem. 

There are some great games on Saturday. #1 Alabama has a very tough test in VA Tech. #12 LSU and #20 TCU will go at it at Jerry's World in Dallas. There has been some trash talk between the two coaches, so this has the makings for a great game. #5 Georgia will travel to Death Valley to take on #8 Clemson. College Gameday will be there. I will pick all three of these games. 

#1 Alabama vs Virginia Tech

This game will take place at the Georgia Dome and has two of the best coaches in the country in Frank Beamer and Nick Saban. Alabama has their hands full with this VA Tech team. Logan Thomas returns for his final season as a Hokie at QB. Thomas is very tough to bring down and is one of the best dual-threat QB in the country. The Hokies have a stout defense. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is VA Tech's Kendall Fuller from Good Counsel. This is an extremely good Alabama team, too. The matchup I want to see is Amari Cooper vs the VA Tech secondary. This game could possibly be my upset pick of the season. I am coming out with a bang and picking VA Tech to take down the Crimson Tide. 

VA Tech 23 Alabama 21
#12 LSU vs #20 TCU
Gary Patterson and Les Miles have been at a war of words lately. Both are expected to miss their best players in LSU RB Jeremy Hill and TCU DE Devonte Fields. TCU returns QB Casey Pachall after he only played a few games last year before being arrested. Pachall will have a breakout season this year. I expect him to put up big numbers on Saturday night. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is LSU's 6-8 OT Derek Edinburgh from New Orleans. This should be a good game. Both defenses are stellar, but I think that the Horned Frogs big play-making ability will be a deciding factor.
TCU 27 LSU 23
#5 Georgia vs #8 Clemson
This game contains at least two Heisman Trophy contenders and two of the best QB in the country. Georgia QB Aaron Murray and RB Todd Gurley are some dark horse Heisman candidates. Clemson QB Tajh Boyd is a frontrunner for the most prestigious award in college football. The Tigers are the ACC favorites. This will be a terrific game, and you know Death Valley will be rowdy. College Gameday is there and the Tigers' supporters will come out. The Freshman to keep your eyes on is Clemson DE Ebenezer Ogundeko from Brooklyn. This game will be back and forth, but I think Georgia comes out on top.
UGA 30 Clemson 24

MM8 Preseason CFB Top 25

College football is finally back and at Mattymac8.blogspot.com we will fully prepare you for this college football season. These are our Preseason Rankings. We will give you our Top 25 and a full analysis of our Top 5 teams.

#25. Virginia Tech- Logan Thomas has been inconsistent over the years. This is his last chance to do something at VA Tech. They will kick off the season against Alabama.

#24. Boise State- Chris Petersen returns a Broncos squad with a stout defense. Joe Southwick should put up some big numbers at QB. They have a tough test in Washington to start out the season.

#23. USC- The Trojans want a fresh start from last year. There is a quiet QB battle brewing. I predict that Max Wittek will start Week 1 over Cody Kessler. Marqise Lee and Nelson Aguilar are a ridiculous WR duo.

#22. Oregon State- I would not be surprised if the Beavers started out 7-0 this year and finished 8-4. They have a very tough last 5 games. Cody Vaz and Sean Mannion may split time this year at QB. Markus Wheaton is a playmaker at WR and RB.

#21. Wisconsin- Joel Stave and Curt Phillips might split time this year at QB. James White returns at RB and I expect him to have a great season. Their Week 3 test against Arizona State showcases one of the best D-lines in the country (ASU) against a big O-line in Wisconsin.

#20. Northwestern- This NW team has plenty of chances to prove themselves. Kain Colter can play RB and QB and is a threat to defenses everywhere. Pat Fitzgerald has done a great job with this team.

#19. Texas- David Ash will be running the offense this year for the Longhorns. Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley are a good 1-2 tandem at WR. The Big 12 is rather weak this year, so I would not be in shock if they ended up in the mix to win it.

#18. Nebraska- The Cornhuskers running game can be very effective and will carry the offense. Taylor Martinez could be a Heisman Trophy candidate at the end of the year. T-Magic is one of the best dual-threat QB in the country. Their Week 3 matchup against UCLA should be fun to watch.

#17. UCLA- Brett Hundley will be running the show again this year. He is another QB that can run and throw. The Bruins lost Jonathan Franklin from last year. Anthony Barr will lead the defense. The Bruins had a rough ending to last year's season, losing their last 3 games. 

#16. Oklahoma- Blake Bell will be replacing Landry Jones at QB. Bell is 6-6 and 252 lbs. OU does not have a go-to-guy at WR to help Bell out. I don't think the Sooners have what it takes to get over the hump of making it to a BCS Bowl game. 

#15. Notre Dame- I have Notre Dame on upset alert in Week 1 against Temple. With Everett Golson out, Tommy Rees will start. I think that Brian Kelly should let incoming Freshman Malik Zaire start. Zaire is very quick and is a playmaker. George Atkinson III is ND's leading RB that is coming back. 

#14. Michigan- Devin Gardner is a big playmaker at QB. He gained experience last year when he took control of Denard Robinson's spot. Jeremy Gallon should have a breakout year at WR. The Wolverines' defense has shown improvement. Last year they only let up 19.8 PPG. 

#13. Oklahoma State- Clint Chelf and J.W. Walsh are both capable of leading the Cowboys' offense from QB. This OSU offense is very explosive. They put up 45.7 PPG last year. Jeremy Smith should get some touches at RB this season. The defense gives up a lot of points, though. I would not be shocked if they lost Week 1 to Mississippi State.
#12.  Florida State- Jameis Winston will try to match what EJ Manuel did last year. The Seminoles offense can put up huge numbers. They almost averaged 40 PPG last year. The defense isn't too shabby either. They come in after only giving up 14.7 PPG last season. FSU is doing something right recruiting wise. They constantly have a top 5 class every year.
#11. LSU- Zach Mettenberger returns for his final season as a Tiger. He has help from a stellar defense and two promising WR in Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry. The schedule is brutal, though. They have to face four top 10 teams and a scrappy TCU team that might turn some heads. The Tigers and Horned Frogs will go at it at Cowboys Stadium on the first Saturday of the season.
#10. Clemson- There are high expectations for Clemson this year. Tajh Boyd could be a dark horse for the Heisman this year. WR Sammy Watkins returns after what was sort of a bust season last year. In 2011, Watkins was unstoppable with 12 TDs and 82 catches. Last year Watkins only managed to catch 3 TDs and had some trouble off the field. The Tigers open the season at home against Georgia. College Gameday will be there.
#9. Florida- Jeff Driskel comes into the season very underrated. He is another terrific dual-threat QB. The Gators get a huge break this year by not playing Alabama. That doesn't mean their schedule isn't still loaded. They have to face about four top 15 teams in the country. Their defense should once again be great.
#8. Louisville- Teddy Bridgewater came out last year and performed for this Cardinal team. He threw for 27 TDs and 3718 yards. He will get more help at WR as the Cards landed a huge star in James Quick from Trinity HS (Louisville). I expect Quick to make an impact right away. Louisville has an extremely easy schedule to work with.
#7. Stanford- Kevin Hogan is the starter at QB for the Cardinals. They are losing Stepfan Taylor at RB. The defense is good, but I really think this team is overrated. They have a tough schedule and not many playmakers on offense. The defense will hold its ground. However, the offense is a question mark.
#6. South Carolina- Connor Shaw returns to QB for the Gamecocks. The loss of Marcus Lattimore will be huge. Shaw can run, but they don't have an every down RB. Bruce Ellington is their best WR. The best player in the country happens to be on their team in Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney might miss the first game of the season, though.
#5. Texas A&M- Johnny Manziel has made some stirs in the media this offseason. He might not even be able to play this year. I think Kevin Sumlin is a great coach, but this season is set up for disaster. The Aggies have plenty of talent and I could be biting my tongue for saying that last sentence. The team does have a great recruiting class with two very solid WR. However, if Manziel doesn't play the Aggies lost out on a good QB in Kohl Stewart who decided to bypass college to play with the Twins.
#4. Georgia- Aaron Murray has very big expectations this year. He was named All SEC 3rd Team QB. Might not sound like that big of a deal, but in a conference with AJ McCarron and Johnny Manziel it isn't that bad. The Bulldogs also have two super Sophomore RB in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall. The two combined for 25 TD last season and over 2100 yards. Malcolm Mitchell had a decent year last season at WR.
#3. Ohio State- This was a tough decision for me to put the Buckeyes at #3. Braxton Miller is looking to match what he did last year. Urban Meyer did a great job with the team last season. Devin Smith and Philly Brown return at WR to help out Miller. RB Carlos Hyde has been suspended for the first 3 games of the season. The Buckeyes could easily be at #2 on this list.

#2. Oregon- Speed. Oregon has lots of it. Chip Kelly is gone, but Oregon is still very impressive. Marcus Mariota should have a solid year at QB. De'Anthony Thomas could be the fastest player in all of college football. Josh Huff was a reliable WR for the Ducks last year. This team can light up the scoreboard. Oregon already has November 7 marked on their calendars. They will get a chance to get some revenge on Stanford. It will be a Thursday night game in Palo Alto. 
#1. Alabama- No surprise here. Bama has won its all 3 out of the last 4 years. AJ McCarron will once again be at the helm for the Crimson Tide. WR Amari Cooper is an elite player and a huge target for McCarron. The running game will once again be spectacular. T.J. Yeldon and incoming Freshman Derrick Henry will take a lot of the load off McCarron. Bama's O-line and defense should be terrific like last year. VA Tech is first on their schedule. The Tide have a bye after that and then a trip to Kyle Field to take on Texas A&M. Nick Saban will have his team ready. 

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CFB Offseason News

It has been a tough 8 months for college football fans everywhere. The last time we saw a college football game was when Alabama absolutely dismantled Notre Dame to claim the BCS Championship. The offseason can be summed up with one name: Johnny Manziel. Manziel has had the media spotlight all on him this offseason. The Heisman Trophy winner has had an eventful few months, whether it is sitting court side at NBA games or getting kicked out of frat parties. The latest news is that the NCAA is investigating Manziel for supposedly receiving benefits for autographs. His college career could be over if the NCAA discovers enough evidence to suspend him. Texas A&M's first game is against Rice on August 31. Whether he plays in that game is up in the air. 

www.bloguin.com

I will be unveiling the MM8 Preseason CFB Rankings on Wednesday. Remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @MM8sports.

Braun's Gone, Puigsanity, and Hot in Cleveland!

sportsillustrated.cnn.com

In the dog days of summer, baseball has been keeping me going. There is so much to talk about around the league. The most interesting team could quite frankly be the Dodgers. Since the emergence of Cuban rookie sensation Yasiel Puig the Dodgers have been rolling. Puig has had 11 HR and 25 RBI since the start of June. More importantly, he has given this team life and hope. Hanley Ramirez has also given the Dodgers a huge boost. Ramirez has 11 HR and 37 RBI for LA. Both Puig and Ramirez have been super aggressive. Ramirez is a candidate for NL MVP. The Dodgers are 3.5 games up on the Diamondbacks in the NL West. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing great baseball as of late. The Pirates are 1.5 games up on the Cardinals in the NL Central, the toughest division in the MLB. The Pirates fell one games short of pulling off an insane 5-game sweep against the Cards. The Cardinals did embarrass Pittsburgh last night at PNC Park with a 13-0 win over Pittsburgh. Charlie Morton got the loss for the Pirates. Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez have been leading the team. McCutchen is a frontrunner for the MVP. 

The AL Central is host to two of the hottest teams in baseball in the Indians and Royals. Cleveland has  won their last 8 while Kansas City has been on a tear and have won their last 9 appearances. Cleveland is sitting in the second Wild Card spot and is up on the Orioles and Rangers by 0.5 games. The Rangers have won four straight games and are making up ground in the AL West and the Wild Card. Three of the four wins have come from walk-offs against the Angels. Texas fans are not too happy, though. The MLB has seriously been considering suspending players linked to the Biogenesis scandal. Ryan Braun is currently serving a rest-of-the-season suspension. The 2011 NL MVP lied about not using steroids and blamed it on other people. It has been a rough few weeks for Milwaukee fans. Nelson Cruz of the  Rangers is one of the players linked to the scandal.  

cbssports.com

The AL East battle has been heating up lately. The Red Sox are currently one game up on the Rays for 1st place. Baltimore is sitting 5.5 games out of it and the Yanks are 8.5 games back. The BoSox and Rays have been neck and neck. The Rays are facing a load of NL West opponents to start August off. They finish off August with the AL West. The Red Sox were part of a three-team trade where they sent  Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and got back Jake Peavy from the White Sox.