Blue & White View
Blue ViewBy David Baker
Is Adrian Peterson the best running back in the NFL?
After setting the single-game rushing record, Adrian Peterson is going to get a lot of praise heaped on him – most of it deservingly so. He ran through a San Diego defense that was missing a couple of its best players, so he loses a few points there. I’m not going to say he isn’t a great back, because he is. But the best? Not so fast. We live in a society that loves to pre-emptively crown victors, make legends. So this is expected, but we need to give Peterson at least a full year before we crown him the new O.J. Simpson – yes, pre-black glove, he was the best thing since sliced bread. For my money, LaDanian Tomlinson is still the best. Ask me next year at this time and things may be different.
Did the Pats-Colts game live up to the hype?
Considering I snoozed through much of the whole first half, I’d say it didn’t live up to expectations. This game was pumped up to epic proportions – a combination of “Gladiator,” “300” and all the summer threequels rolled into one football game. I was anticipating waves of pleasure to overcome my body. I expected an orgasmic roller-coaster ride of a contest, something sublime for poets to ruin for years to come. But it was just a football game. There was a lot of running in the first half, some long passes, a few big drops, some picks, a big fumble and a comeback win. A good football game, but after all the hype, a ’69 Camaro would have had to pop out of my TV for me to be satisfied.
Preseason Final Four Picks
It’s time once again for the most arbitrary thing anyone could ever do. I’m going to attempt to, with very substandard instrumentation, forecast the college basketball weather on a weekend in late March. If I actually do get these right, I’ll start writing under the pseudonym Bakerdomus. But given my picking history, I’m just relegating the four teams that follow to a season of pain and suffering – that’s why I’m leaving the Aggies off. Here it goes: I’ll start with the UCLA Bruins, who will make it back after losing last year to Florida. Then I’ve got Memphis, with their outstanding freshman point guard Derrick Rose. Louisville, too, because I like Rick Patino’s immovable hair. And a surprise, Oregon.
Will there be an undefeated team left in college football?
It depends on the time frame. Spoiler alert. Ohio State will blow through a weak Big Ten and end up in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game, making them the only undefeated team, because Kansas will lose to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game and Hawaii will lose to either Boise State or Washington at the end of the season. That being said, Ohio State will probably play either LSU or Oklahoma, maybe even Oregon, for the championship. It doesn’t matter which one of those teams plays the Buckeyes, the challenger will win, just like Florida did last year, leaving us at the end of the season with no undefeated team. There you have it. No need to watch anymore college football this year.
Rant
This will sound less like sports and more like manly chest beating, which is sports-like, right? For uppity sports purists, stop reading now. This isn’t going to sound like ESPN sports punditry. It’s going to sound like, “The Alphabet of Manliness,” a great book. Girls, when a guy takes you to a sports bar, they are prepping you for a life full of over-the-shoulder gazes, subtle fist-pump celebrations and silently mouthed phrases about prevent defenses. Also, know your stage of undress has a lot to do with our focus on you during sporting events. If you are willing to be in any advanced state of clothes abandonment while we’re watching a Southeastern Conference football game at Iggy’s, you’re going to garner our attention. You can be more clothed if it’s a Big Ten game. And yes, after that, I welcome celibacy with open arms.
White ViewBy Sam Bryner
Is Adrian Peterson the best running back in the NFL?
That’s as easy as asking if Utah State basketball will win 20 games this year. Of course he is. Just look at the stats. He has rushed for 1,036 yards, and the next closest is Willie Parker at 768. He has run for a league-leading eight touchdowns. Did I mention he does all of this without even touching the ball 20 times a game? Five other backs get more touches per game and don’t have near the yards. Oh yeah, he’s also listed as the Vikings’ No. 2 back behind Chester Taylor, which should soon change. If all that isn’t convincing enough, then I don’t know what to say. It’s not even like the Vikings have a good pass game to throw off opposing defenses. They have one weapon and one weapon only, and that’s Peterson.
Was the Patriots and Colts game over-hyped?
The game was low-scoring and for the most part pretty boring until the last 10 minutes. Because of this, at first look it’s easy to say the game was over-hyped. I tend to disagree though. The game got a lot of coverage and hype rightfully so. You had two undefeated teams going at it past the halfway point of the season, the two best quarterbacks in the game right now and overall just two really great teams. Give me a reason the game shouldn’t have been hyped up. Did the game actually live up to the hype? I think everyone was expecting a high-scoring shootout. In reality, both teams have good defenses, so the low score isn’t surprising. Tom Brady led his team from 10 points back in the final quarter, and once again we saw the Colts fold to the Patriots.
NCAA preseason Final Four?
This is a lot like, well, I don’t know what’s it’s like, it’s near impossible without actually seeing any games for real. But on paper, this year’s Final Four will be North Carolina, UCLA, Georgetown and Tennessee. North Carolina has three starters back from last year’s team that made it to the Elite Eight, including Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough. UCLA returns a lot of experience as well as welcoming in highly touted freshman Kevin Love. Georgetown has a dominant big man in Roy Hibbard, and as long as he can stay out of foul trouble, look for the Hoyas to contend. Tennessee made the cut not only because they have experience but also because senior guard Chris Lofton has ice running through his veins. This guy is clutch.
Will there be an undefeated team in NCAA football?
Right now in the Top 25 there are three teams undefeated, No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Kansas as well as No. 16 Hawaii. Ohio State still has to play No. 12 Michigan at the big house. Kansas plays No. 6-ranked Missouri at home, and Hawaii plays No. 20-ranked Boise State. Not only will there be a undefeated team at the end of the season, but I think all three of these teams will finish undefeated. As a Bowl Championship Series hater, you love to see this because it means at the end of the year, there will likely be at least two undefeated teams remaining. And really, how can the BCS determine a true champion if there is more than one team that has not lost?
Rant
There are a lot of unheard-of sports, or to avoid argument, a lot of unknown athletic events and athletes. Specifically I would like to mention cross country. For those of who don’t know this, USU does have a cross country team. Actually they have two, men’s and women’s. Did you know in 2005 the men’s cross country team won the school’s first Western Athletic Conference Championship, and since then they have been champions both of the two successive years? The women in 2005 finished second, in 2006 they were WAC champions, and this year they came in third. Clearly these two programs have to be considered among the top athletic teams the school has to offer, especially the men. These athletes are among the hardest working athletes on campus in addition to constantly being recognized for their academics. Give these student-athletes some credit. They do a lot for our university. Go Aggies.