With the football season now officially over for the teams I follow, I've given each a grade and a brief statement on what next year may bring.
Oregon Ducks....GRADE: A-
The Duckies had a very good season in which they achieved more than they were expected to. If you remember back to last summer, USC was tabbed as the favorite to win the Pac-10 with any combination of Cal, ASU or even Arizona cited as contenders to the throne and the following spots in the pecking order. It was generally presumed that Oregon had too much to replace on the offensive line and key spots on defense, as well as a rookie head coach, to mount a serious challenge.
And what did Oregon go out and do? They went 8-1 in the conference, beating all conference teams except Stanford. Throw in a couple nice non-conference wins vs. a ranked Utah team and Purdue and that's very solid business.
Any year you win the league and get to the Rose Bowl is a "A" season for sure. I deduct some from the grade for a) the really poor showing in the first game vs. Boise State and b) not winning the Rose Bowl.
Outlook for next season: Very good. I truly believe the Ducks will be in serious contention to repeat as Pac-10 champion. I think another 10 win season is very possible.
Iowa Hawkeyes...GRADE: A
Iowa had a great and unexpected season and were one game away from winning the Big 10. They lost for the first time late in the season when their starting QB went down with an injury vs. Northwestern and then lost the next week vs. Ohio State in a close one despite not having their top QB in the game. Ironically, if they had somehow won one of those games they would have lined up against my Ducks in the Rose Bowl. While this would have presented some conflicts for me considering my allegiance to Iowa (I was born at the university, parents graduated from there) - in hindsight - I think the Hawkeyes would have been a MUCH better match up for the Ducks than Ohio State proved to be. Oh, the irony.
The Hawkeyes earn a straight "A" for overachieving to go 10-2 in the season, reaching the Orange Bowl and then winning it as the underdog vs. Georgia Tech. Iowa does not earn an A+ because they did lose those two league games and, therefore, did not win the Big 10. What could have been deducts a little.
Outlook for next season: Good. Perhaps not Big-10 champs, but 8-9 wins and top three in the league is likely.
Washington Huskies...GRADE: B-
While I am not a Husky fan (how could I be as an Oregon alum), I do keep up on their progress as a longtime Seattle resident and Pac-10 fan. And, you know, it's good to know how good - or bad - one of your arch rivals is.
Winning only five games would not normally earn a "B" grade of any kind, but going from zero wins in 2008 to five in 2009 is a very good progress - especially when you consider the UW were in position and could have won at least two more games (Notre Dame and ASU). So, give the a "B" for upping their game significantly. Deduct points for finding ways to lose two very close ones and then not even showing up to their game against Oregon State.
Outlook for next season: A lot to look forward to for Dawg fans. I predict seven wins (but one of them will not be vs. the Ducks) and a bowl game.
Seattle Seahawks...GRADE: D
The Seahawks were horrible. They appeared unprepared and unmotivated and only beat teams just as bad as they were. The only reason I don't give them a straight out "F" is that they actually won more games this season (5) than last (4). The team is broke and an overall re-building is in order.
Outlook for next season: More of the same. I won't believe a turnaround until I actually see it. I predict 4-6 wins and missing the playoffs again.
And now, it's on to Pac-10 basketball and the Winter Olympics, and then the World Cup early this summer. And after that? Well, before you know it, it'll be football season again!
Showing posts with label hawkeyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hawkeyes. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, November 2, 2009
Football Treats and Tricks on Halloween
Well, well, well...Halloween weekend presented some new "treats" for me to be excited about in my football world, as well as one "trick" that was unfortunately all to predictable.
Starting with the sweet stuff...unless you spent your Sunday sleeping off your Halloween party hang over, you no doubt heard that the Oregon Ducks took apart USC to the tune of 47-20 Saturday evening. This runs the UO record to 7-1 overall and 5-0 and solo first place in the Pac-10. They are also now #8 in the BSC rankings. For as well as they've played most of this season, this game is the first that has convinced me that the Ducks are legit Pac-1o title contenders and...who knows...even more. They didn't just beat USC, they destroyed them. Big games at Stanford and Arizona remain, along with home tilts against ASU and the hated OSU Beavers. So, nothing is settled yet. Part of me thinks all this is too good to be true. Surely the Ducks will stumble against a supposedly inferior team or a key player like QB Masoli will go down for the season with an injury. It can't be this good for real can it? We shall see.
Meanwhile, the Iowa Hawkeyes survived another poor performance and won a game they could have easily lost. Ultimately, they beat Indiana by a pretty decent margin, but that came late and only after the Iowa QB threw five - FIVE! - interceptions. I cannot ever remember a team doing that and winning. But...somehow, some way, the Hawkeyes are 9-0 overall now and 5-0 in the Big Ten. They are #4 in the BSC standings and have three games to play: home against Northwestern, at Ohio State and home vs. Minnesota.
The UW Huskies had a bye and did not play.
The Seahawks did have a game vs. Dallas, but they didn't play either and lost to the Cowboys in miserable fashion. The Seahawks are a pathetic team, and I predict a 4-12 season. I know it's hard to believe they can win one more game, but they do have to play St. Louis again. They'll probably get that done and that'll be that. 2010 anyone?
The other football: the Sounders hosted Houston in the first of a two game series in the MLS playoffs. The game was good, but ended in a 0-0 tie as Houston played slow down and keep away. This means it comes down to who wins the game Sunday. The winner moves on to the next round.
Starting with the sweet stuff...unless you spent your Sunday sleeping off your Halloween party hang over, you no doubt heard that the Oregon Ducks took apart USC to the tune of 47-20 Saturday evening. This runs the UO record to 7-1 overall and 5-0 and solo first place in the Pac-10. They are also now #8 in the BSC rankings. For as well as they've played most of this season, this game is the first that has convinced me that the Ducks are legit Pac-1o title contenders and...who knows...even more. They didn't just beat USC, they destroyed them. Big games at Stanford and Arizona remain, along with home tilts against ASU and the hated OSU Beavers. So, nothing is settled yet. Part of me thinks all this is too good to be true. Surely the Ducks will stumble against a supposedly inferior team or a key player like QB Masoli will go down for the season with an injury. It can't be this good for real can it? We shall see.
Meanwhile, the Iowa Hawkeyes survived another poor performance and won a game they could have easily lost. Ultimately, they beat Indiana by a pretty decent margin, but that came late and only after the Iowa QB threw five - FIVE! - interceptions. I cannot ever remember a team doing that and winning. But...somehow, some way, the Hawkeyes are 9-0 overall now and 5-0 in the Big Ten. They are #4 in the BSC standings and have three games to play: home against Northwestern, at Ohio State and home vs. Minnesota.
The UW Huskies had a bye and did not play.
The Seahawks did have a game vs. Dallas, but they didn't play either and lost to the Cowboys in miserable fashion. The Seahawks are a pathetic team, and I predict a 4-12 season. I know it's hard to believe they can win one more game, but they do have to play St. Louis again. They'll probably get that done and that'll be that. 2010 anyone?
The other football: the Sounders hosted Houston in the first of a two game series in the MLS playoffs. The game was good, but ended in a 0-0 tie as Houston played slow down and keep away. This means it comes down to who wins the game Sunday. The winner moves on to the next round.
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