HEATED SPORTS
  • Home
  • Heated Blog
  • Heated Podcast
  • About US
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Heated Blog
  • Heated Podcast
  • About US
  • Contact Us

The College Football Preseason Rankings are Out and Here’s the Breakdown

8/23/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Article by: Harrison Weaver 
Picture
Here we go college football fans; the wait is over. College football is officially back as of tomorrow night! #8 Florida faces off against the U at 7PM on ESPN in what could possibly be our first upset alert of the season. The official NCAA Football preseason rankings were released earlier this week and so we get our final look at where the voters are placing each team heading into the season. I will drop those rankings below so you can all look, find where your team is. I know this is exciting, I feel the same way. We’ve been waiting months for some college football action and it’s finally back. So I want you to read these rankings over, take a minute to digest and compose yourselves, and then we’re going to get into my reaction towards them.

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. LSU
7. Michigan
8. Florida
9. Notre Dame
10. Texas
11. Oregon
12. Texas A&M
13. Washington
14. Utah
15. Penn State
16. Auburn
17. UCF
18. Michigan State
19. Wisconsin
20. Iowa
21. Iowa State
22. Syracuse
23. Washington State
24. Nebraska
25. Stanford

Alright so now that you’ve had a moment to look, we can react. Let’s glance at some cool statistics that lie within the rankings.
  • Some concerning news for Clemson? In the past 15 years, only 2 AP Preseason #1 teams have gone on to win a championship. Those were Alabama in 2017 and USC in 2004.
  • The Big Ten leads the way with the most teams in the AP Preseason Top 25: Big Ten - 7, SEC – 6, PAC 12 – 5, Big 12 – 3, ACC – 2, AAC – 1, Independent – 1.
  • Iowa State is ranked in the preseason Top 25 for the second time in school history, the first being 1978.
  • Texas A&M, despite having a lot of potential, faces a daunting schedule which includes #1 Clemson, #2 Alabama, #3 Georgia, #6 LSU, and #16 Auburn.

As I wrote in my college football preview, there are a couple of outsider teams in this year’s rankings that I really like. First off, Nebraska. After one of the most impressive 4-8 seasons ever seen (they lost 5 games by 5 points or less last season, meaning they were very close to be a bowl team), Nebraska is poised for a turn-around. After another season to mold the program the way he wants, Scott Frost will have a better developed squad and a leader in QB Adrian Martinez who can turn some heads this season.

Syracuse is another team that I really believe will have a strong season. With a well-balanced roster, weapons at the skill positions, and a strong season to build off, Syracuse could be the perfect team to challenge and maybe, just maybe, dethrone Clemson in the ACC Atlantic Division. To avoid redundancy, you can read about the rest of my dark horse picks in my Ultimate College Football Preview article by simply clicking the hyperlink. 
All in all, the rankings seem very appropriate to me in terms of how each team performed last season and their expectations for this coming season. I do have a couple of bold predictions, though:
  • For #7 Michigan, this will finally be the year they beat Ohio State, win the Big Ten, and make the playoffs. In a year of transition for the Buckeyes in which they will have a new head coach and a new QB, it will leave the door wide open for Harbaugh’s Wolverines to final overcome the Buckeyes and win the Big Ten. This is a make it or break it year for Michigan, and I think Shea Patterson and the Wolverines will finally find a way to make it to the college football playoffs, joining who I predict to be Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia. 
  • Two top 10 teams will have very disappointing seasons, Florida and Notre Dame. Florida faces Miami, Kentucky, and Tennessee early in the season, and I think each of those games has ‘slip-up’ written all over it, despite none of these opponents being ranked. The back end of their schedule only gets harder, with Auburn, LSU, and Georgia all waiting. Florida will end the season as a back-end Top 25 team. As for Notre Dame, they will be looking to return to the playoffs after making it last season, only to get smacked by Clemson, 30-3. The Irish lost six starters to the draft and face a tougher schedule this year which includes Georgia, Virginia, USC, Michigan, Stanford, and a couple of other potential tough games. For a Top 10 team, I think the Irish could be looking at an 8-4 season.
  • Texas wins the Big 12. Sam Ehlinger is poised for a Heisman run this year and will be leading an undefeated Longhorns team against Oklahoma on October 12th, which will be an absolute shootout between Ehlinger and Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts. I expect the Longhorns to win in a high-scoring shootout, which will put them smack dab in the middle of the playoff conversation. However, outside of Oklahoma, Big 12 teams have become notorious for getting upset and losing their bid. In 2011, Oklahoma State was upset by Iowa State after going 10-0 and lost a shot at the BCS Title Game. In 2013, Baylor was 9-0 before getting blown out by Oklahoma State and missing the BCS Title. In 2012, it was Kansas State after going 10-0. My point is, a non-Oklahoma team has not made the Championship Game/Playoffs since Texas lost to Alabama in the title game in 2009. This is not the year those fortunes change either. Texas wins the Big 12, but no Big 12 teams in this year’s playoffs. 

So there you have it folks, some of my insight and bold predictions for this college football season. The long wait for college football is over, it’s time for big matchups, College Gameday, tailgating, upsets, beautiful fall football days, and everything else we love about the football season. 
Picture
0 Comments

D.K. Metcalf's Impressive Combine is Over, but How High Will the Receiver Actually be Drafted?

3/6/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Article by: Kevin Eagleson
Picture
https://thespun.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/dk-metcalf-1024x683.jpg

The NFL scouting combine is a great opportunity for prospects to show off their skills, raise their draft stock, and attract more potential teams. Now that the combine has concluded and over 300 players have completed their audition, teams may have a better idea about who they want to draft and where. Besides medical checks and team interviews, the prospects have done about everything they can to display their talent.

Every year, there are a few players that put on such an impressive performance that they stand out amongst the hundreds of other players. Last year, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, was arguably the standout player of the combine (4.4 sec 40, 29 bench reps, 41” vert). His combine boosted his draft stock and locked him in as a top 3 selection, which is relatively rare for a running back.

This year, the world witnessed a performance just as impressive as Barkley’s last year. Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf put together one of the more impressive combines in recent memory. The hype around Metcalf initiated when the 21-year-old revealed he has just 1.6% body fat. This fat content seems almost impossible for a human, but photographs of the receiver prove his insane build. At the combine, Metcalf ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, put up 27 bench press reps, and added a 40.5” vertical leap, all while measuring in at 6-3, 228 pounds. The future first-rounder had less success with the agility tests with a 7.38 three-cone drill, and a 4.50 short shuttle time. Despite those two less impressive times, D.K. Metcalf has certainly solidified himself as the top receiver in the draft class with his straight-line athleticism and raw talent. Now the final question is: how high will the Ole Miss receiver be drafted?

Last year, D.J. Moore was the first receiver taken off the board at round 1, pick 24, by the Carolina Panthers. The last time a receiver was selected top-10 overall was during the 2017 NFL draft, where three receivers were selected. First, the Titans selected Corey Davis at 5th, Mike Williams went 7th to the Chargers, and finally John Ross went 9th to the Bengals. Ross is probably the most interesting selection, as his draft stock was significantly raised by his record 40-yard dash time at the combine. Ross was not being talked about as a top receiver prospect until after the combine, which proves how influential the combine can be. However, Metcalf and Ross could not be more different receivers, and Metcalf is probably most similar in body and play type to Mike Williams.

D.K. Metcalf has proved himself worthy of a top-10 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, and it is more than likely that is where he will be selected. Although there is ample talent in this year’s draft, a receiver-needy team will more than likely take the Ole Miss prospect in top 10. It is even possible Metcalf goes top-5 to the Buccaneers, who have the 5th overall, pick. However, it looks like Tampa Bay will most likely look to add to their defense instead. More than likely, he will be taken somewhere between 7th and 10th overall. The teams selecting 7-10, in order, are the Jaguars, Lions, Bills, and Broncos, who could all benefit from a talented, big-bodied wide out. The best fit is seemingly the Bills at 9, who need another receiver, and Metcalf’s talents would pair perfectly with Josh Allen’s big arm. Of course, it is extremely difficult to predict the NFL draft, as picks will undoubtedly be traded, and teams will reposition. It is not out of the range of possibility to imagine a team attempting to trade up for Metcalf’s talents.

What is almost certain is that D.K. Metcalf will go top 10. The Bills look like the best fit now, but until draft day, anything is possible. Metcalf is another example of how a player can take advantage of the NFL combine, and add value to their draft stock. in just a few short days.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment your thoughts and opinions down below!

To get news and updates on all things sports, be sure to keep it here, with Heated Sports!

Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    Justin Imler

    Archives

    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019

    Categories

    All
    College Basketball
    College Football
    MLB
    NBA
    NFL
    NHL
    Pittsburgh Steelers

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.