College football has a history of unpredictability, upsets, and cinderellas toppling a powerhouse. Almost every prediction has Florida taking the SEC, and many suspect Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech will win the ACC. There are two teams, however, who are looking to overturn the expected outcomes. North Carolina - Tar Heels The Tar Heels have the deck stacked against them in 2009.  Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech are already picked to compete for the ACC Coastal and North Carolina ...

Weber State Guard Damian Lillard Location: Ogden, UT Nickname: Wildcats Conference: Big Sky Last Year’s Record: 21-10   Why they’ll make it With much of the nucleus returning to a team that breezed through the regular season in the Big Sky last year, the Wildcats are in good shape to repeat that feat. Now it’s time for the Wildcats to take that next step. Sophomores Damian Lillard and Kyle Bullinger and senior Steve Panos return to a team that ...

Before the football season begins (and through the first couple weeks of the season) I will write player profiles of some of the South Carolina Gamecock's most important players. This profile is of senior linebacker Eric Norwood. Norwood is a two-time first-team All-SEC selection, and is on the Nagurski Trophy watchlist. He could very well be an All-American this year, and is one of the many keys to South Carolina's success. Norwood has performed well his entire career. ...

If you are Nick Holt, the number one priority in getting this Washington defense prepared is nailing down the secondary slots. Thus far it has been a challenge, through spring and fall. There have only been two players that have put a hold on their positions; Nate Williams controls the strong safety spot and Quinton Richardson has one of the cornerback slots. As for free safety and the other cornerback slot, it's anybodies game at this point. That ...

A cautious optimism is reverberating throughout the farm in Palo Alto this fall. For the first time in a long time people are getting excited about Stanford football. The excitement is due to in large part the return of 1,000-yard rusher Toby Gerhart and the possible coming out party of strong-armed QB Andrew Luck. Gerhart's style is a throwback to a bygone era. This hard nosed aggressive runner ran over more than his own share of defenders ...

Yes, you read that right! College Fantasy Football has finally taken hold and is growing in popularity. This is my first year trying it and I am absolutely stoked! With that said I realize there are a lot more college football players than there are in the NFL. Handicaping such a league can be a monumental task. I am first and foremost a college football fan. I love the NFL, but there is just nothing ...

The Michigan Wolverines' 2008 campaign was absolutely dreadful and although it is difficult to nail down the reason, one area that stands out was turnovers. The Wolverines finished dead last in the Big Ten in turnovers allowed in 2008 (30). and second to last in the Big Ten in turnovers forced (20). Although there are many teams that struggle with turnovers, the Wolverines' problem was when they happened and what was their result. In the first game ...

I had so much fun writing the defense portion of this article, I'm ready to jump straight to the offensive side of things!  In fact, no offense, defenders (get it?), but offense is the real reason I came up with these articles, and you're about to see why... Offensive Tackle: Alonzo Durham, Nevada (6'4", 290 pounds) and Mike Aguayo, UTEP (6'4", 291 pounds) I feel ridiculous searching for small offensive linemen, but nevertheless found several on the ...

Derrick Rose doesn’t have to play by the rules. The former University of Memphis point guard never took the Scholastic Aptitude Test, instead having a friend sweat through the exam under Rose’s name. The results of the SAT were then sent to the NCAA clearinghouse and the qualifying score resulted in Rose being admitted to Memphis. From there, the talented freshman helped lead the Tigers basketball team to a 38-win season and an appearance in the national ...

It’s one thing to lose—make sure you don’t lose twice. Sage advice shared by many a coach. In the past, the suggestion of such words offered perspective for young athletes. Losing a single contest should serve as an opportunity for learning. One needs to make sure to not lose respect through such a process—respect for the opponent, respect for the game, and respect for oneself. On this day like so many other days, with sports stories swirling through ...