5 by 5: An Unconventional College Football Review and Outlook in Five Lists (Week 2)

After a tremendous week one of the college football season, Week 2 appeared to be a let down on paper. As we learned once again, sports are NEVER played on paper, and this week was fantastic. Without further ado, the latest edition of 5 by 5:

MUST SEE VIDEOS OF THE WEEK (Link is all of the words):

1-I know there is controversy on whether or not this counts, but did you see Central Michigan?! What an incredible finish, they did it once again. (throwback link here to last miracle CMU play).

2-Unlike a certain NFL backup quarterback, I think that public displays of patriotism shown at sporting events are incredible, as I have the utmost respect for the military and the greatest country on Earth. The scene at Bristol this weekend was amazing. God Bless America.

3- Arizona State's Kalen Ballage tied the FBS single-game record with eight touchdowns against Texas Tech Saturday night/Sunday morning. Here is his final score of the evening.

4- LSU's Tre'Davious White provided a huge spark for LSU Saturday night to put this game out of reach. The ability to change field on a punt return drew crazy reactions from my roommates and I.

5-In the weekly non-college football spot, how awesome was this drive by the Lions? If only they didn't need these late game heroics to win after blowing a 21-3 lead...

GROUP OF FIVE TOP FIVE
1-Houston: Ranked #6/7, the Cougars are in the driver's seat until they get dethroned. The health of Greg Ward Jr. lingers in question however as the Cougars will play Cincinnati on Thursday.

2-Western Michigan: Row the Boat. The Broncos blew out North Carolina Central 70-21 Saturday night. With one B1G win under their belts, they are FAVORITES at Illinois on Saturday.

3-San Diego State: In a shootout 45-40 win over Cal, the Aztecs increased their winning streak to twelve games, trailing only Alabama for the nation's longest win streak. The MWC Title game against Boise State could be for the G5 spot if the two teams continue to win this fall.

4- Central Michigan: I know there is controversy on whether or not this counts, but did you see Central Michigan?! What an incredible finish, they did it once again. (throwback link here to last miracle CMU play). The Chippewas are a legitimate threat to the Broncos in the MAC this fall.

5-Boise State: The Broncos, the original "BCS Buster" and inspiration for the G5 berth, held on for a close victory late Saturday night against Washington State. The MWC Title game against San Diego State could be for the G5 spot if the chips fall the right way.

WEEK 2 G5 PREDICTIONS:
Houston @ Cincinnati: In a Thursday night game that is better than the terrible "Color Rush" product the NFL forces upon us, the Cougars will need Greg Ward Jr to escape with a road W.

W.Michigan @ Illinois: As of Monday morning, the Broncos were four point favorites on the road at a B1G program. That speaks volumes to the respect PJ Fleck has earned. WMU with another B1G W

San Diego State @ N.Illinois: In a battle of two top G5 teams the past few years, the Aztecs find themselves heavy favorites as a result of NIU's slide this fall. SDSU wins yet again.

Central Michigan v UNLV: UNLV is not very good yet, as Tony Sanchez needs time to build his program similar to the way he did at Bishop Gorman. CMU with the W to go to 3-0.

Boise State is idle this week.

FIVE FCS UPSETS TO FOLLOW
Last week, in the five FCS upsets I listed, two of them emerged victorious (Eastern Illinois and North Carolina A&T), and a third lost when their game-winning two point conversion attempt was unsuccessful (North Dakota). This week, there are only twelve FCS matchups, so the picks are slightly harder to make. The five most intriguing:

1-Liberty at SMU: The Flames gave Virginia Tech a run for their money two weeks ago, and this SMU team is reeling off a blowout loss to Baylor last week. Perhaps the perfect storm?

2-Monmouth at Kent State: My apologizes to my friends at Kent State, you're on the list yet again. But you lost last week, and Monmouth is 2-0...watch out, lightning occasionally strikes twice.

3-North Carolina A&T at Tulsa: Speaking of lightning striking twice, NCA&T is coming off a win at Kent State, and they play a Tulsa team that has looked inconsistent in their two games.

4- UC Davis at Wyoming: The Aggies nearly led Oregon for a whole quarter (UO scored with 25 seconds left in the first). Wyoming's defense is giving up an average of 38 points per game.

5-North Dakota State at Iowa: Iowa is a really good team, I have respected them as a legitimate threat since last year, but NDSU has won five straight FCS titles, and you cannot ignore that fact.

FIVE PLAYERS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW
In 2015, Christian McCaffrey had one of the better seasons in recent college football history, yet he did not win the Heisman Trophy. Many attribute this to the fact that he plays on the West Coast and as a result, his games are not watched as frequently by the voters due to late kickoff times. In this section, I list five of college football's best players that for one reason or another, you have not heard of yet.

1- Patrick Mahomes (QB Texas Tech) Kliff Kingsbury's pass-heavy offense has Mahomes leading the FBS in passing yards with 1023 yards and nine touchdowns on 68/96 passing.

2- Davis Webb (QB California) Perhaps my favorite FBS QB, Webb also benefits from a pass-heavy system as he is second in passing at 963 yards and nine touchdowns on 79/126 passing.

3- Corey Davis (WR Western Michigan) The Broncos star player (who has a Heisman Trophy campaign page linked here), is the FBS 16th all time leading receiver. When he goes, they go.

4- Donnel Pumphrey (RB San Diego St) Pumphrey is coming of back-to-back 1600+ yards rushing, and is already poised to break the 1000 yard mark this year, as he has 379 yards in just two games.

5- Marcus Cox (RB Appalachian State) Cox is another running back with two straight 1400+ yard seasons, and he was a reason they hung around Tennessee. If they expect to do the same against Miami Florida this Saturday, Cox will need his fifth straight game of 100+ rushing yards.

TURN YOUR TV TO THIS:

Weekday: Houston at Cincinnati (TH 7:30, ESPN), Arizona State at UTSA (FRI 9:30, ESPN2)
Sat Early: Florida State at Louisville (12:00, ABC), Miami FL at App State (12:00, ESPN)
Sat Mid: Oregon at Nebraska (3:30, ABC), Alabama at Ole Miss (3:30, CBS)
Sat Prime: Michigan State at Notre Dame (7:30, NBC), Ohio State at Oklahoma (7:30, FOX)
Sat Late: UCLA at BYU (10:15, ESPN2), Texas at California (10:30, ESPN)

An interesting note here is that ESPN got a weak draw this week as three of the four matchups between ranked teams are not on the network. CBS, NBC and FOX all got one matchup, and the only matchup ESPN gets between ranked teams is the noon kick between Florida State and Louisville.

WEEK 3 PICKS:
Houston over Cincinnati: As noted in the G5 section, the Cougars can win if they have Ward Jr.
Arizona State over UTSA: If you stayed up Sunday morning, you found out ASU can score...wow.
Florida State over Louisville: Lamar Jackson, meet the first legit defense you've seen. Show's over.
Miami FL over App State: The Mountaineers hung with Tennessee, and will do the same here.
Nebraska over Oregon: Brady Hoke and a Pac-12 defense? This has shootout written all over it.
Alabama over Ole Miss: The Crimson Tide always struggle in this one, may be best game of the day.
MSU over N.Dame: The Spartans are coming off a bye, ready to get a big road victory.
Ohio St over Oklahoma: Isn't it awesome that the B1G actually has good teams this year?
BYU over UCLA: In another late night shootout, Taysom Hill and Josh Rosen will score in bunches.
Texas over California: I love Davis Webb, top QB in FBS, but Texas is too good. Longhorns close.

PARTING WORDS: Last week, the Arizona State Sun Devils took on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a 10:00 kick. In a ridiculous display of offense, I found myself disgusted at the product that they called football. Growing up in Big Ten country, most teams use multiple tight end sets, fullbacks still exist, and in most games, the teams score less than thirty points. In this contest, it was 37-34..AT HALFTIME. The offensive numbers in this game are sickening. The 68-55 final produced 123 points, 1264 combined yards of offense including 891 through the air. Do these schools even recruit defensive players? No wonder Brady Hoke can coordinate a defense in the Pac 12, a majority of the Big Twelve and the Pac-12 (it must be in the league name) both cannot play defense to save their lives, and shootouts like this happen all of the time. How people can possibly enjoy this style of football played by their own team confuses me, it's painful to watch. I cannot wait for the Big Ten season to start so I can see Michigan State and Wisconsin bashing each other's heads in on the ground, playing real, true, physical football. Three yards and a cloud of dust forever.

5 by 5: An Unconventional College Football Review and Outlook in Five Lists

Spartan Football is back in East Lansing, as shown above in the first game this past Friday against Furman.

College Football, a sport with so many dynamics, captured millions of fans each and every Saturday for so many reasons. There is pageantry and tradition unlike any other sport. The rivalries between schools, even more between fans of those schools, span across generations (unless your UCONN/UCF). On game days, hundreds of thousands flock to college towns to not only cheer on their favorite team, but spend hours before (and after depending on the result) tailgating with fellow fans, recalling memories of past games, grilling out and being a part of one big college family. Unlike its professional counterparts, college football has so many hidden treasures, whether it is a quarterback nobody heard of until he carved up your defense for a win (thank you CJ Bacher and Dan LeFevour), or that small school you just beat 28-13 that the average fan cannot locate on a map (hello Furman). In this weekly college football post, I am not going to discuss the mainstream college football news in a similar fashion to major media outlets. Instead I want to focus on a different side of college football, and so I will compile five lists of five each week. These may include smaller conferences or usually unrecognized players amongst others. Some will be mainstays, such as the Group of 5 Top Five or the Turn Your TV to This television guide, but others will change each week. So without further ado, here is a look back at Week 1 and a look ahead to Week 2.


MUST SEE-VIDEOS OF THE WEEK:
1-Nebraska Football suffered through the tragic passing of punter Sam Foltz this offseason. In their season opener, they paid tribute to him during the game in the single greatest way possible. Wow.

2-LSU lost to Wisconsin 16-14 at Lambeau Field. As great as the Lambeau Leap would be, this hit (albeit very dirty and he was rightfully suspended) will be the moment everyone remembers.

3-Western Michigan defeated Northwestern 22-21, though it was not without controversy. What exactly was going through the mind of the Broncos defender? There was no need to do this....

4-Two great field goal/extra point related plays here for Notre Dame and Houston. As we all have learned, especially the past few years, special teams play a huge part in winning ball games. (Respective links on words Notre Dame and Houston)

5-It's not college football related, but Hudsonville High School's JV team had this happen, and I couldn't leave this out.

GROUP OF FIVE TOP FIVE:
1-Houston: The Cougars were the top G5 team a year ago and they won the Peach Bowl over Florida State. This year, Houston is the preseason favorite to earn that spot again as well as potentially reaching the College Football Playoff. In Week 1, the Cougars defeated #3 Oklahoma 33-23, a huge win for the program to prove its legitimacy. I do not expect Houston to be challenged prior to Louisville on November 17, and if there are no more than three undefeated P5 champions, the Cougars can reach the College Football Playoff.

2-Western Michigan: In a wild finish in Evanston, PJ Fleck and the Broncos pulled out a 22-21 victory over Northwestern. The Broncos are the favorites to win the MAC and can contend for the G5 bid as well. Western has another chance to defeat a P5 school in two weeks when they travel to Champaign to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini.

3-San Diego State: The Aztecs are riding the country's second longest winning streak at eleven games, including a 31-0 win over New Hampshire on opening weekend. The Aztecs face Cal this week in their lone battle against a P5 school, and they avoid Boise State in the regular season, so their schedule is very favorable. If Houston loses and the Aztecs take on Boise State in the MWC Title Game, it could have G5 implications.

4-Boise State: Boise State has perhaps the toughest schedule of the five teams in this week's G5 Top Five as they take on two Pac-12 teams (albeit Oregon State and Washington State, two of the weaker teams) along with BYU in the non-conference. The Broncos topped Louisiana-Lafayette 45-10 this weekend, a team that finishes near the top of the Sun Belt each year. With a potential for three big non-conference wins and a matchup against SDSU in the MWC Title Game, you cannot count out the original BCS Busters for this year's G5 spot.

5-Western Kentucky: One of the country's most explosive offenses, the Hilltoppers scored 46 points and racked up 649 yards of total offense in their season-opening win over conference foe Rice. In a weak C-USA, the Hilltoppers are the heavy favorites to win the league, perhaps with an undefeated record. For WKU to earn the G5 berth however, they will have to at least split against Alabama and Vanderbilt, a task easier said than done.

WEEK 2 PREDICTIONS:

Houston over Lamar
Western MI over NC Central
Houston and Western Michigan get easy wins over FCS teams after P5 wins a week ago.

California over San Diego State: The eleven game win streak ends for the Aztecs and Davis Webb and the Cal Bears offense is too much for San Diego State to handle.

Boise State over Washington State: Boise State gets a P5 victory over an awful Washington State team that could not beat Eastern Washington in their season opener. 

Alabama over Western Kentucky: Alabama is the top team in the country yet again, and Western Kentucky should put up some points, but they are simply not as talented as the Crimson Tide.

FIVE FCS UPSETS TO FOLLOW:
Last week, FCS programs went 4-41 against their superior league the FBS. On Friday night, Albany scored the lone touchdown in the fourth quarter to top in-state foe Buffalo 22-16. Richmond traveled to Virginia and dominated the Cavaliers all afternoon in a 37-20 win. Northern Iowa spoiled Matt Campbell's debut at Iowa State with a 25-20 win in Ames on Saturday, and Eastern Washington topped Mike Leach's Washington State Cougars as they won 45-42.

This week, there are 29 matchups between FCS and FBS football programs. The following are the five games that the FCS has a real chance to win this weekend.

1-Portland State at San Jose State: Portland State had two FBS wins a year ago (Washington State and North Texas) and they return their quarterback yet again. San Jose State lost last week to Tulsa 45-10, they are one of the weaker MWC teams.

2-Elon at Charlotte: Charlotte is in their fourth season of football ever. This team is inexperienced and has constantly struggled against everyone so far. Expect Saturday to be no different.

3-NC A&T at Kent State: The reigning Celebration Bowl champion Aggies pose a legitimate threat to Kent State this Saturday in the Golden Flashes' home opener.

4-Eastern Illinois at Miami Ohio: Miami Ohio is slowly rebuilding under coach Chuck Martin, as they increased their win total to three in 2015. Eastern Illinois, the college known for producing Cowboys QB Tony Romo, reached the FCS playoffs a year ago and will give Miami all they can handle.

5-North Dakota at Bowling Green: North Dakota finished 7-4 a year ago, including a win over Wyoming. Bowling Green is coming off a 77-10 blowout loss to Ohio State, and they are still trying to find a solid answer to replace Matt Johnson at quarterback.

HEISMAN HOPEFULS:

First a disclaimer, I believe that the Heisman Trophy has started to lose its luster. It has started to turn into an award given to the best player on the best team, or the player who garners mass media attention for his unconventional play (Johnny Manziel, RG3). I think that it should truly be given to the nation's best player, and last year I feel that Christian McCaffrey and Keenan Reynolds were far more deserving than Derrick Henry. Can you imagine either one of them running behind Alabama's offensive line? Their stats would be so unreal that they would be shoo-in winners. With that being said, here is my top 5 in the Heisman race.

1-Christian McCaffrey (Stanford): McCaffrey should have won the Heisman in 2015, and his explosive play in the Rose Bowl showed East Coast fans his true ability. He had 210 all-purpose yards (126 rushing) and two touchdowns in Friday's win over Kansas State.

2-JT Barrett (Ohio State): Barrett accounted for seven total touchdowns in Saturday's blowout against Bowling Green. He threw for 349 yards and six touchdowns, while adding 30 yards and a touchdown with his legs.

3-Nick Chubb (Georgia): Chubb is a workhorse back, and he led Georgia to victory on Saturday with 222 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 32 carries. After losing most of the 2015 season to injury, Chubb looks healthy and ready to go in 2016.

4-Greg Ward Jr. (Houston): Ward and the Cougars got a huge win over Oklahoma Saturday. He threw for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns, and more importantly, his MRI showed no serious injury.

5-Deondre Francois (Florida State): After the first half, I was thinking Chad Kelly here, but after the second half Francois is the man. 33/52 for 420 and 2 scores with 59 yards rushing in his debut.

TURN YOUR TV TO THIS:
In this segment, it will serve as somewhat of a TV guide, as I will list the two best games and their channel for all of the TV windows (Friday, Saturday Early, Mid-Day, Primetime and Late) this week. These are the games that I believe are the best in terms of competitiveness and entertainment.

Friday: Maryland at Florida International (7:30, CBSSN), Louisville at Syracuse (8:00, ESPN2)
Sat Early: Penn State at Pittsburgh (12:00, ESPN), Cincinnati at Purdue (12:00, ESPN)
Sat Mid: UCONN at Navy (3:30, CBSSN), Middle Tennessee State at Vanderbilt (4:00, SECN)
Sat Prime: Arkansas at TCU (7:00, ESPN), Virginia Tech vs Tennessee (8:00, ABC)
Sat Late: Texas Tech at Arizona State (10:00, FS1), California at San Diego State (10:30, CBSSN)

Being a fan of the full-day of college football watching, I am slightly disappointed in this week as the best games are in the late/West Coast spot. The Mid-Day spot is brutal, so if you have anything to get accomplished on Saturday, do it between 4-7PM. After last week's Mega-Weekend, this week definitely is a let down, especially since Michigan State is off and Michigan hosts lowly UCF.

WEEK 2 PICKS:
Maryland over Florida International: FIU loses for the second straight week at home against B1G.
Louisville over Syracuse: This is the second game because there is only two. Louisville wins big.
Pittsburgh over Penn St: Pat Narduzzi has experience against PSU and their weak offensive line.
Cincinnati over Purdue: This was a 35pt win three years ago, have I mentioned this week stinks?
Navy over UCONN: AAC opener for both teams, I'll take the Midshipmen's triple option by four.
Middle Tennessee over Vandy: Vanderbilt loses one game to a bad team yearly, here it is.
Arkansas over TCU: TCU couldn't stop a parked car right now. Bielema wins the old-SWC battle.
Tennessee over VaTech: This game is at Bristol Motor Speedway, that's why its primetime. Bleh.
Texas Tech over AZ State: Kliff Kingsbury once again has an explosive offense at Tech. Shootout W.
California over SD State: Davis Webb is one of the nation's top passers that nobody talks about.

PARTING WORDS: The SEC has been the cream of the crop in college football over the past decade winning eight of the ten National Championships. Despite Alabama blowing out USC (who I believe was overrated per the norm), I believe that the league as a whole is no longer the best in the country. As you can see in the graphic below, the SEC turned out one of the worst Week 1 records of all conferences in the FBS. While I give them props for playing zero FCS teams, this is taken somewhat lightly because 13 of the 14 schools (good job Missouri) have an FCS team schedule for later on in the season. Not only did they lose six games this week, it was nearly nine as Tennessee escaped in OT against Appalachian State, Arkansas narrowly escaped against Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M needed overtime to top UCLA. Even Florida was up less than a touchdown until the eight minute mark against Massachusetts. Ole Miss had an embarrassing collapse against Florida State on Monday night to add to the league's misery. While the SEC may once again have America's top team, I believe that the league as a whole is down, however their inflated reputation continues to keep their teams ranked higher than they deserve.

The B1G led the country in wins through week one.

Also, I have taken a job covering West Michigan high school football for Michigan Sports Radio, a site that broadcasts select high school football games each week. I still am continuing my writing at isportsMSU as well, though my football work will be lesser than baseball and basketball. Check both of these sites out in addition to this blog, I appreciate the support and feedback.

Stadium Review: Four Winds Field (South Bend Cubs)

Throughout the year, I have been travelling and will continue to travel throughout the country (mostly Midwest) to watch and cover sporting events. I decided that one way to continue some writing at events that I do not have to cover is to write reviews about the games and places that I visit.

The first post will be about the first Minor League stadium that I visited in 2016, Four Winds Field in South Bend, Indiana. This park is home of the South Bend Cubs, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, a team who plays in the Midwest League.

On May 5, I visited the ball park with Keegan to catch my first ever game there. The South Bend Cubs were set to take on the Beloit Snappers. In the game South Bend won 3-2 (box score here) on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Eddy Julio Martinez, which was more the result of an unapplied tag by Beloit catcher Santiago Chavez, but nonetheless the finish was very exciting.

I was not a big fan of them playing the Cubs win song following the win, solely based on the fact that I do not like the actual Cubs nor the song. It was a cool touch in terms of a way to connect the club with the big league club though, I will give them that.

One of the coolest features of the park had to be the team shop in left field that is a converted synagogue. Pictured below to the left with the Toyota advertisement on the roof, the team shop still looks like a synagogue inside and out, except filled with hats and bats of course.

Just twenty one days later, the third member of our Minor League travelling party Chris joined us on our return trip and his debut in South Bend. An 11:00 AM first pitch against the Great Lakes Loons, this game was one of the infamous Education Days, when the crowd is filled with screaming elementary and middle school students. Great Lakes powered past the Cubs 9-4 (box) by the way of three home runs, including two monster shots by Ariel Sandoval.

A new staple at the park that I will continue to eat every time I return to the ballpark, the Porknado was the greatest specialty food item I have ever eaten at any ballpark. For just $8.00, you get a waffle cone that is filled to the brim with alternating layers of pulled pork and mac n' cheese. In between each layer, you have the option (for no additional charge) to add BBQ sauce, shredded or nacho cheese, cole slaw and jalapenos. I opted to get the BBQ Sauce, shredded cheese and jalapenos and I made a great call. This was absolutely delicious and I needed no additional food, it was quite filling.

In the ever-entertaining world of mascot/costume races, South Bend may have the best I have ever seen in person. The Martin's Produce Race is a race between three pieces of produce that all have ties to the Three Stooges. Pictured below from left to right are Brocco Larry, Mo Shroom and Curly Flower.

In both races I witnessed, Curly Flower took home the victory, and as of May 26, Mo Shroom had zero wins on the season, so it looks like it will be a long year for him.

On another mascot note, they have decided to keep Swoop, who was the mascot when they were the South Bend Silverhawks, and if you didn't know the former name of the club, it does not make sense why they have a hawk as a mascot. I appreciate the homage to the past, however it may be time for Swoop to go. Stu is a great mascot, they do not need another one.

Ticket Prices are comparable to other places around the league ($10 field box and $12 dugout box), however they do have a $1 surcharge for buying them on gameday. The parking costs $5, which is two dollars cheaper than West Michigan, and if you get a spot in the third base line lot, it is very close to the park so there is minimal walking distance.

Despite the Education Day that filled the entire game with SpongeBob SquarePants and Frozen songs being played over the PA system, the ballpark still has not strayed from the top spot in the MWL for me personally. As my seventh park in the league it ranks first ahead of (in order) Bowling Green, Great Lakes, West Michigan, Lansing, Wisconsin and Beloit.

Stay tuned for potential updates if I revisit the park this year again, along with posts from my new sports road trips. Enjoy these other pictures I took from the ball games.

No matter how hard I try to avoid it, I'm still "Living Life in the Bullpen"

NJCAA Region XII Tournament Predictions

College baseball is one of the more underrated sports in America. Perhaps its due to the fact that unlike the top stars in collegiate football or basketball, the top college prospects take years through the minor league system to mature and develop before finally impacting an MLB team. This also affects the lack of national attention that the sport gets until it reaches its national tournament.

While the NCAA Tournament does not start for a couple of weeks (predictions along with a bracket challenge will take place at a later date), the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) is starting their tournament this week. The Region XII tournament, with the winner earning a spot at the NJCAA World Series in Enid, Oklahoma, begins Wednesday at Bailey Park in Battle Creek, Michigan. The top community colleges and two year schools from Michigan and Ohio will be taking part in the eight-team double elimination tournament throughout the weekend, with a champion being crowned Saturday. Due to work conflicts, I will only be in attendance Friday for those games (barring former Caledonia teammate Chris Clark and his team at Kellogg CC don't get eliminated early), but for a complete schedule click the link here.

These predictions will be constantly updated as each day's matchups are provided.

***UPDATE: FRIDAY RECAP AND SATURDAY PICKS***
Friday, Keegan and I took the venture down to CO Brown Stadium for the tournament, and I went three for three on picks. Sinclair squeaked out a 3-2 win over Kellogg in game one, Cuyahoga defeated Delta in a shootout in game two, then Kellogg mercied Cuyahoga 14-4 in game number three. This improves my mark to 11-1-1 on the tournament.

For Saturday's game, Keegan has decided to join in as our resident guest picker, as this filled up a lot of our time in the outfield Patio Porch and the car ride home.

Keegan has selected Sinclair to defeat Kellogg in Game 1 to take home the crown.
I will agree that the Tartan Pride, winners of 4 of 5 against KCC will win, however I will take them in two games, I feel Kellogg will squeak out the first win.


***UPDATE: THURSDAY REFLECTION AND FRIDAY PREDICTIONS***
Thursday I was a perfect 4 for 4 as all of the teams I selected below won the respective matchups. This brings my pick record to 8-1-1. This creates a tremendous day as a baseball fan down in Battle Creek as Kellogg and Sinclair will kick things off at 11:30am. At 3:00, Delta College and Cuyahoga will face off, with the winner of this game taking on the loser of the 11:30 game for a redemption opportunity Saturday.

FRIDAY PREDICTIONS (Game by Game)
Sinclair over Kellogg
      These teams have met four times back in early March, and Kellogg took the first game before losing the last three. Despite that Kellogg has played much better ball since returning north of the Mason-Dixon line, Sinclair has continued their strong play as they are ranked #5 in the country. This will be perhaps the best game of the tournament, and it could go either way unsurprisingly.
Cuyahoga over Delta
      Delta has been a hot team that has won eleven of twelve against teams from the state of Michigan. They have lost three times to Ohio teams this month, including twice by Cuyahoga. The curse of Ohio teams will continue for Delta.
Kellogg over Cuyahoga
      These two teams played a tightly contested game today, and a rematch would be equally competitive tomorrow. The pitching matchup would be the difference, but with this unknown, I will take the Bruins with a home field advantage to advance to Saturday's title game(s).


**UPDATE: WEDNEDSDAY REFLECTION AND THURSDAY PREDICTIONS**
Wednesday I went 4-1-1 with my predictions as I incorrectly picked Jackson to defeat Sinclair. The tie or push would be attributed to having the correct team lose the elimination game (GRCC) but the wrong opponent as a result of the Jackson/Sinclair mishap. Kellogg, Delta and Cuyahoga all also won their first games Wednesday, and then Jackson and Kalamazoo Valley advanced out of the losers bracket, while Grand Rapids CC and Lansing CC were eliminated.

THURSDAY PREDICTIONS (Game by Game)

Kellogg (M2) over Cuyahoga (S1)
     The Bruins are hot and are riding the momentum of a nail-biting win yesterday. I think the winner of this matchup is the heavy favorite to take home the title, don't be surprised for a rematch later also.
Sinclair (S2) over Delta (M3)
     Despite another convincing win yesterday, Delta just is not as talented as Sinclair. The differential there is too much for them to overcome as the Tartan Pride advance to Friday's semifinal.

THURSDAY LOSERS BRACKET GAMES:
Cuyahoga over Jackson
      I would change this prediction if Brad Allen is on the bump for the Jets, however I believe that the rest of the staff will not be able to slow down a potent Cuyahoga offense.
Delta over Kalamazoo Valley
     KVCC swept the season series, however Delta has played much better baseball in the month following those losses. Delta wins assuming they don't have a hangover from the Sinclair loss earlier.

These picks set up a tremendous Kellogg and Sinclair ball game Friday morning that I would love to be down in Battle Creek to watch. I think that the Kellogg and Cuyahoga game will be the game of the day as these two teams are evenly matched. The loser of that game could have their hands full as Jackson awaits, however they have struggled lately if Brad Allen is not on the hill. Regardless, one of the three teams will be sent home, which is unforunate because they are three of the four best teams, all on one side of the bracket. I expect the Kalamazoo Valley Cougars to go home tomorrow without a doubt however.

Check back Thursday night/Friday morning for updates and new predictions. If anyone is interested in a road trip with me Friday, feel free to contact me.

ORIGINAL POST
WEDNESDAY PREDICTIONS (Game by Game)

ROUND 1:

Kellogg (M2) over Kalamazoo Valley (M5)

       Kellogg has dominated KVCC all year (3-0 including a mercy) and it won't change here.

Delta (M3) over GRCC (M4)

       These teams split the season series, however Delta has been hot as they have won 9 of 10.

Cuyahoga (S1) over LCC (M6)

       Cuyahoga is ranked #9 in NJCAA D2, and just swept LCC on May 8 a combined 14-2.

Jackson (M1) over Sinclair (S2)

       Assuming Brad Allen is on the hill, I believe he is too much for Sinclair to handle. Allen threw a no-hitter at Bailey Park back on April 16.

WEDNESDAY LOSERS BRACKET GAMES:

Sinclair over GRCC

    Sinclair is the second best team here (Cuyahoga) and aside from Brad Allen, they would beat

Jackson. I think that the Tartan Pride defeat the Raiders in a big blowout, eliminating GRCC.

Kalamazoo Valley over LCC

   With equal conference records and similar bodies of work, the lone factor is that in their doubleheader played May 11, KVCC swept by a combined 16-2.

So to summarize, I believe that Grand Rapids Community College and Lansing Community College will have a short lived tournament experience that amounts to little more than a usual doubleheader in Battle Creek. This also sets up a matchup between Kellogg and Cuyahoga along with a Jackson and Delta matchup, while Sinclair and KVCC will have to await their opponents from there.

Thanks for reading and check back in to this same link late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning as my predictions will be reviewed and new ones will be made for the following games.

Tuori Sports Talk Episode One: NCAA Bubble Talk

Last night, my cousin and fellow sports junkie Sam pitched the idea to me that we should start a sports talk podcast. I immediately thought this idea was fantastic, seeing that we already have hour long phone calls regularly to talk about sports. Now at least our banter would have a point and others could listen to our ideas and perhaps even be involved as well. So at 11:00 last night, Sam and I recorded the first episode of our podcast Tuori Sports Talk.

We spent 28 minutes talking about teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble and our opinions on what they need to do to get into the Big Dance. At the very end, we also decided to name our current Final Four teams and National Champion regardless of tournament draw.

I feel for a first episode that we not only pitched, researched and found the proper software all within a few hours, we did pretty well. I know that we will never run out of things to talk about so the results will only improve. Check it out here.

College Hockey Power Index 1/7

Welcome to the second week of the CHPI, which was filled with a light schedule as a result of most schools still being on break. The biggest climb in the polls was the Dartmouth Big Green, who rose fourteen spots from 55 to 41. On the contrast, Brown, Maine and Mercyhurst all fell six spots. Without further ado, the latest CHPI rankings with a brief review of how the rankings are compiled.

These rankings are based off of four major components that consist of many different values:
1-Expected Victories based off of goals scored/allowed (Pythagorean W-L)
2-Strength of Schedule
3-Game Control
4-Scoring Efficiency

The January 7 College Hockey Power Index

1-St Cloud State	NCHC	2.112628
2-Boston College	HCKYE	1.969721
3-North Dakota	NCHC	1.957811
4-Quinnipiac	ECAC	1.956636
5-Nebraska-O	NCHC	1.920704
6-Harvard	ECAC	1.897867
7-Providence	HCKYE	1.882921
8-Penn State	B1G	1.729383
9-Cornell	ECAC	1.664696
10-St. Lawrence	ECAC	1.661099
11-Michigan	B1G	1.636778
12-Rob. Morris	ACHA	1.61929
13-UMASS-Lwl	HCKYE	1.584811
14-Holy Cross	ACHA	1.47138
15-Notre Dame	HCKYE	1.445407
16-Bowling Grn	WCHA	1.407581
17-Renesselaer	ECAC	1.407106
18-Minn-Duluth	NCHC	1.374566
19-Mich Tech	WCHA	1.35598
20-Boston U	HCKYE	1.335863
21-Union	ECAC	1.331994
22-New Hamp	HCKYE	1.331576
23-Yale	ECAC	1.257565
24-Denver	NCHC	1.209534
25-Ohio State	B1G	1.187871
26-Anchorage	WCHA	1.178804
27-Minnesota	B1G	1.177174
28-Merrimack	HCKYE	1.144884
29Minnesota St	WCHA	1.136676
30-Bentley	ACHA	1.131174
31-RIT	ACHA	1.122453
32-Vermont	HCKYE	1.111991
33-Ferris State	WCHA	1.09702
34-Mercyhurst	ACHA	1.080552
35-Northern MI	WCHA	1.072706
36-Sacred Heart	ACHA	1.068421
37-Western MI	NCHC	1.03522
38-Wisconsin	B1G	1.023277
39-Miami	NCHC	1.005602
40-Bemidji St	WCHA	0.989718
41-Dartmouth	ECAC	0.989083
42-Michigan St	B1G	0.982379
43-Air Force	ACHA	0.981515
44-UMASS	HCKYE	0.965942
45-Brown	ECAC	0.941089
46-Clarkson	ECAC	0.939239
47-Connecticut	HCKYE	0.910424
48-Alaska	WCHA	0.89154
49-Lake State	WCHA	0.876511
50-Princeton	ECAC	0.84621
51-Army	ACHA	0.778678
52-Colgate	ECAC	0.772251
53-Norteastern	HCKYE	0.756337
54-AL-Hunstvlle	WCHA	0.742092
55-Maine	HCKYE	0.73996
56-Canisius	ACHA	0.731994
57-Niagara	ACHA	0.596968
58-Col. Collge	NCHC	0.591595
59-Americn Intl	ACHA	0.588042
60-Arizona St		0.423084

College Hockey Power Index

Since the beginning of the college hockey season, I have been compiling a rankings system that I believe truly justifies the top team in the NCAA. This venture started as an inspiration based off of the KPI (Kevin Pauga Index) and my new-found love for college hockey(I currently hold season tickets for Michigan State). These rankings are based off of four major components that consist of many different values:
1-Expected Victories based off of goals scored/allowed (Pythagorean W-L)
2-Strength of Schedule
3-Game Control
4-Scoring Efficiency

The statistics that go into these numbers are then compiled to create a "Score" that is then ranked and the 60 team CHPI is created. I decided to wait until the season got rolling a bit to post my first rankings, and so today on December 31, the inaugural CHPI will be shared online. Enjoy.

1-	St Cloud State	2.051768
2-	Quinnipiac	1.977385
3-	Boston College	1.969773
4-	Providence	1.950979
5-	North Dakota	1.931831
6-	Nebraska-Omaha	1.915856
7-	Harvard	1.816663
8-	Robert Morris	1.748739
9-	Penn State	1.734684
10-	Cornell	1.660277
11-	St. Lawrence	1.649832
12-	Michigan	1.636295
13-	UMASS-Lowell	1.592167
14-	Notre Dame	1.470884
15-	Renesselaer	1.443368
16-	Holy Cross	1.419919
17-	Bowling Green	1.394381
18-	Minnesota-Duluth	1.374383
19-	New Hampshire	1.368074
20-	Michigan Tech	1.365101
21-	Boston U	1.34006
22-	Yale	1.282587
23-	Denver	1.273844
24-	Merrimack	1.254102
25-	Union	1.252959
26-	Ohio State	1.196428
27-	Anchorage	1.185033
28-	Minnesota	1.178065
29-	Mercyhurst	1.177392
30	-Minnesota St	1.138274
31	-Bentley	1.128762
32	-Ferris State	1.079956
33	-Northern MI	1.076374
34	-Vermont	1.060458
35	-Western MI	1.033069
36	-Wisconsin	1.03056
37	-Bemidji State	0.988824
38	-Michigan St	0.984547
39	-RIT	0.975032
40	-Air Force	0.964064
41	-Massachusetts	0.94212
42	-Miami	0.93801
43	-Clarkson	0.931406
44	-Brown	0.906548
45	-Sacred Heart	0.90201
46	-Connecticut	0.893237
47	Lake Superior State	0.876327
48-	Alaska	0.874456
49-	Princeton	0.850106
50-	Alabama-Huntsville	0.796489
51-	Army	0.794527
52-	Colgate	0.765791
53-	Northeastern	0.749195
54-	Dartmouth	0.747605
55-	Maine	0.742141
56-	Canisius	0.730316
57-	Niagara	0.665492
58-	Colorado College	0.59005
59-	American Intl	0.558149
60-	Arizona State	0.50332

The plan is to release the rankings every week Tuesday-Thursday before the weekend series begin. This will continue until the conference tournaments/NCAA tournament begin when I will give predictions on the College Hockey postseason outlook.