In honor of the 2006 College Football Season, Bullz-Eye.com will preview an up-and-coming game of the week, each week, for the entire length of the NCAA season.
Each week a game will be highlighted and broken down by each teams strengths and weaknesses vs. its opponent. Plus, no preview would be complete without a forecasted score – you’ll find a prediction on the game at Bullz-Eye.com as well.
On tap this week: #6 LSU at #3 Auburn
Check out Bullz-Eye.com for the NFL Game of the Week.
One NFL contest will be plucked off the schedule and broken down by each team’s strengths and weaknesses vs. its opponent. Plus, no preview would be complete without a forecasted score – you’ll find a prediction on the game at Bullz-Eye.com as well.
On tap for Week 2: Steelers at Jaguars.
They have been the feel good story of year in Major League Baseball – the team with a decade of misery rebounds to have one of the best seasons since 1987.
From 2000 to 2005, the Detroit Tigers had a combined record of 386-585 (including losing 119 games in 2003). For you math majors out there, that’s a winning percentage of .398.
Things are different now in Motown right?
The ’06 Tigers swept their opening series against Kansas City and have been atop the NL Central ever since. Detroit’s success has been accomplished with a mixture of veteran and young players that have overachieved all season.
Rookie pitcher Justin Verlander, 23, has 16 wins and leads the team in ERA with a 3.42 mark. Another rookie, Joel Zumaya, 21, is a flamethrower and has the team lead in holds with 26. Shortstop Carlos Guillen leads the team in batting average, runs scored, stolen bases and on base percentage.
With an 11-3 loss to the Rangers last night (Verlander took the loss), however, the Tigers once promising lead in the Central Division is now dwindling fast. The Minnesota Twins haven’t lost sight of the Tigers all season and are now only a game and a half behind Detroit.
No problem right? Even if the Tigers lose the division, they still have the Wild Card secured.
Not so fast, because the Chicago White Sox are right behind the Twins and could seemingly pass the Tigers if the free fall continues. Lets not forget that the White Sox were one of the best second half teams in all of baseball last season.
With the loss last night, Detroit is now 11-24 since the start of August, which is the second worst record in all of Major League Baseball (the Cubs are worse if you can believe it). The Tigers haven’t won back-to-back series in 20 games and the once promising 76-36 start is fading fast.
It’s so bad in Detroit that local radio hosts are having callers suggest ways to turn around the slump.
Here are some of the suggestions that were aired just this morning:
– The team and fans can start wearing WWCWD? (What Would Charlie Weis Do?) bracelets in hopes that Weis’ relationship with Notre Dame and God will bring good luck to the Tigers – because hey, who can deny the winning power of God?
– Sticking with the Notre Dame theme: steal the “Play Like Champions Today” sign so the Tigers players can touch it before going out on the field every day. The reference was made in relation to the Detroit’s inconsistent play since the start of August.
– Sacrifice a live chicken ala Pedro Sorano in the movie Major League.
– Have whoever the starting pitcher is for the Tigers that day bean “Paws” the mascot in hopes of rejuvenating the batting lineup. Despite making young children cry, everybody seemed to be highest on this idea.
Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press suggests the problem with the Tigers hitting woes is lack of patience at the plate.
It would be nice if the Tigers could wait for their pitch and smack it. It would also be nice if opponents would let them know what pitch is coming. The reality is that the Tigers will never lead the league in patience.
Only the Cubs and the Mariners have drawn fewer walks than the Tigers. And in case you haven’t noticed, neither the Cubs nor Mariners are selling playoff tickets.
Jon Heyman of SI.com also has a few suggestions on why the Tigers have struggled lately in his Daily Scoops column.
Whatever the issue is, if the Tigers can’t hang on to the lead that was once over 10 games in the Central, the city of Detroit may never trust this team again. And everybody involved will remember the 2006 season as one of the biggest collapses in the history of the franchise.
Date: Sept. 13
Time: 8:00pm ET ABC
Why to tune in:
This will be the first time Nebraska travels to Southern California in 36 years. USC, which has won 33 consecutive regular-season games, has not played since opening its season with a 50-14 rout at Arkansas on September 2. The Cornhuskers are 2-0 after defeating Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State, respectively.
When Nebraska has the ball:
Head coach Bill Callahan has Nebraska heading in the right direction with its run game. Callahan and the Cornhuskers have generated back-to-back 200 yard rushing games, but how much of a test did Louisiana Tech and Nicholls State really prove to be? Through three quarters against Arkansas, USC let up 90 yards on the ground on defense and 130 overall in the contest. If that just wasn’t lack of cohesion on the part of USC’s defense, Callahan can run his duo of backs Marlon Lucky and Cody Glenn to try to keep the game close. Quarterback Zac Taylor has looked good in two games this season, throwing for 489 yards and seven touchdowns, but Callahan doesn’t want to get into a high scoring affair with the Trojans.
When USC has the ball:
Pete Carroll would love to open the run game early against Nebraska and might have a lot of success doing it. Carroll loves to throw on second down to put his offense in a manageable third and short, which would give the Trojans a better chance against the Cornhuskers underrated secondary. However, quarterback John David Booty did attempt 35 passes against the Razorbacks in week one and Carroll isn’t opposed to throwing to set up the run either. As evidence by Booty’s three touchdowns in the red zone against Arkansas, Carroll will throw near the goal line.
Prediction:
People have mentioned marked improvement for the Cornhuskers this season nobody can argue that with the way Nebraska won its first two games. But USC isn’t Nicholls State and they have no resemblance to Louisiana Tech either. If Nebraska can’t get its run game going early, the Trojans are going to tighten up in pass coverage and force Taylor to beat them through the air. As mentioned before, Callahan doesn’t want to get into a high scoring affair with USC, because he’ll undoubtedly lose that battle.
Nebraska hasn’t beaten a top 10 team on the road since 1997 and don’t expect its luck to change in Southern Cali either: USC 38, Nebraska 17.
38 year-old Toni Kukoc will likely retire since the two teams he was willing to play for – Milwaukee and Chicago – don’t want his services…yet. Other teams are interested, but Kukoc lives in Highland Park, Illinois, and he wants to stay close to home.
Kukoc was drafted in the second round by the Bulls of 1990, coming in at #6 on Bullz-Eye’s list of the best second round picks in the last 20 years. Here’s an excerpt:
Toni Kukoc, 1990, #29 (Chicago)
Career Averages: 11.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, .447 FG%
As a member of the Chicago Bulls, “The Waiter” helped to serve up the team’s second three-peat, winning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 1996. On a team that featured Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson asked Kukoc to spark the team off the bench and he filled the role beautifully. In each of the team’s championship seasons, Kukoc averaged more than 13 points, four rebounds and three assists per game while shooting better than 47% from the field. His career numbers aren’t mind-boggling, but he’s still playing at 37 and his minutes have declined in recent years, hurting his stats. Playing a vital role on a team that won three titles goes a long way in this league.
Bonus points for…while playing for Jugoplastika Split, winning three European titles in a row (a feat that has never been matched)…winning the title of European Player of the Year three times while playing for Benetton Treviso…having the nicknames “White Magic” and “the Croatian Sensation.”
Kukoc had a great career, but I’m not so sure it’s over just yet. The Bucks or Bulls could change their mind or he might get the itch and decide to play for a playoff contender if/when they come calling.
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