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Welcome to the Week 1 edition of Ask Yellow Fever. I've got two words for you: Keenan Allen!
Nick B. Quincy, IL [via mobile]
What do u think of Oregon's chance to win the Pac 10 this year?
Yellow Fever
Based on this weekend's results, I think the Pac-10 looks pretty wide-open.
Except for UCLA and Washington State.
Don (Delaware Ohio)
What do you see in Ohio State football team this season?
Yellow Fever
Please don't tell me Delaware, Ohio is also a real place.
After the jump, Hydrotech answers a question about the Bears.
solarise (Member of the Follettariat)
Hydro, how do you like the new 2 TEs formation?
Hydrotech
I like putting two TEs on the field when both of your TEs are tall, athletic, and can be pass threats. Miller is definitely that. Ladner seems to be that too.
As far as the formations being new, I don't think they are. Cal used the 2 TE formations back in 2006 and 2007. We didn't use them as much in 2008 and 2009 for whatever reason.
dan (pennsylvania)
Who is the sleeper team in the big ten
Yellow Fever
Does Michigan count as a sleeper? I've always loved Rich Rod's offenses, and Denard Robinson certainly looked good on Saturday. Poor Tate Forcier though. He may need to reopen QBForce.com to talk about his recruiting transferring.
Todd (Canton, MI)
Fever I think there is something special about to happen in South Bend starting in 3 days what are your thoughts on the Irish with the Brian Kelly era about ready to kick off?
Yellow Fever
I should start with Beano's original response:
I think they will win at least nine games. If they win the this six games and I’m not saying they will, but I think they will play for the national title.
Of course, this was edited to:
I think they will win at least nine games. If they win their first six games (and I'm not saying they will), I think they will play for the national title.
I'M ONTO YOU, BEANO. I KNOW THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SENILE, DIDN'T ACTUALLY SAY THAT THE FIRST TIME, AND SOMEONE'S ERASING THE EVIDENCE.
As for the original question, not covering the spread against Purdue doesn't have me filled with confidence that they can beat USC, Boston College, the Furd, Michigan, or Pittsburgh.
chad (orlando)
do you think that terrell pryor is the most absurdly overrated player in college football?
Yellow Fever
It's hard to say that when he did play well against Oregon last year in leading the Buckeyes to a victory (passing for 265 yards and two touchdowns, to go with 72 rushing yards). He's not quite as the level of Vince Young, who's the most obvious comparable, but he's no bust either. But I'm still somewhat puzzled by the hype around Jake Locker. He may very well make a great NFL QB with better talent surrounding him - after all, it's not like John Elway ever led the Furd into a bowl game - but you'd think he could beat a BYU team rotating its QBs every other drive, or at least be able to complete more than 20/37 passes against a MWC team to open his senior year.
Joshua (Atlanta)
Do you think georgia tech is gonna be able to keep their success going in the coming years?
Yellow Fever
I think they very well could keep cranking out ACC titles while losing in bowl games; a lot of coaches say that preparing for the option is extremely difficult in a week's time, so the Yellow Jackets certainly seem to have the advantage in the regular (except for week one) just about every game because of how difficult it is to get ready for the triple option.
Of course, a lot of coaches always say it's easier to prepare with a lot of time, so that kinda explains why they get rolled in their bowl games too.
Scott (Rocky Mount, NC)
Fever! Do my Tar Heels have any shot against LSU? Methinks no unless Butch can somehow get Tyler Hansbrough into a football uniform.
Yellow Fever
Scott - great knowledge there. Tyler Hansbrough? That's the best you could do? Do you know any of your alma mater's players? What about Julius Peppers? Or Willie Parker? Or Hakeem Nicks? Wouldn't they be more useful than Tyler Hansbrough?
With that said (and this question was posed last week, along with all of the others) I was moderately impressed about how UNC came back to make it a game against LSU late. Given the final margin, could you make the case that Marvin Austin, Bruce Carter, Greg Little, and everyone else would have made the difference between the narrow loss that occurred and a possible UNC win? I think that's possible.
Roman (San Francisco)
Fever, I just had a salad for lunch...TAKE THAT SOUP!!!!!!!
Yellow Fever
I hope this isn't another Seinfeld reference here.
chad (orlando)
who do you go in the Boise state- Va Tech opener?
Yellow Fever
I'm typing this during the game (first fumble by Tyrod Taylor on the fumbled exchange just a second ago), but I've been with Bruce Feldman on this for a while and I think Virginia Tech should be able to run the ball effectively enough against the Broncos to win the game
Joe (CA.)
If U.C.L.A. somehow beats Texas, are they your pick to win the Pac-12
Yellow Fever
Joe, your question is filled with many unnecessary periods, missing a question mark, and referencing a conference that does not yet exist, so please try again next week.
James (Provo, Utah)
Fever... Thoughts on BYU?
Yellow Fever
It's easy to say now in hindsight that BYU should be pretty good this year after beating Washington on opening weekend, though I think that this question was supposed to be about BYU going independent. (Beano, obviously, totally missed this. So much for paying attention to anything outside the SEC.)
I think it was a mistake on their part because of the potential difficulties in scheduling - they don't have the cachet of Notre Dame or any of the top dogs currently in BCS conferences, so it's hard to say who will play them. They're going to carry around the stigma (so to speak) of not quite being a big name program, so what's in it for the big dogs to schedule them? Exposure on BYU TV? Increased recruiting prowess in Utah? I suppose they might be able to cobble together a representative schedule filled with WAC or MWC level teams...but if that's the best they can do, why did they leave to begin with? And how are they supposed to gain the increased stature to make the big dogs want to schedule them if that's where they're starting out? It just seems like a bit of a catch-22 to me.
George (Orlando)
Does Ingram's knee injury doom his Heisman chances?
Yellow Fever
I don't think the knee injury dooms him, but I don't think he was going to win the trophy anyway if only because I don't think anyone else is going to win the Heisman more than once ever again. That said, if he does end the season 50 yards and 2 touchdowns behind the presumed front runner (Daniel Thomas? LaMichael James?) I think a lot of voters would subconsciously credit him with the yardage and touchdowns they think he would have run for in the opener if he were healthy. So assuming he doesn't miss a whole lot of time and his numbers are comparable at the end of the season, I think he'll still be in it.
But he still won't win it.
W (Anaheim, CA)
Is Kansas State going to improve on last season's performance starting with a win over UCLA?
Yellow Fever
Let's throw it to Beano!
I have to honest, I have no idea. I don't know enough about Kansas State but I do know it is a tough opener for Kansas State. One day, UCLA will return to power because there are just too many good players in that state.
Thanks, Beano! Glad you could show up with no research!
Matt (MA)
Local TV is reporting that OSU-Michigan will be in separate divisions. Delaney is so incompetent his only next job could be as a member of congress.
Yellow Fever
There are three things you get out of a Beano chat:
- Jokes about how bad baseball is
- Jokes about Congress
- No insight regarding college football
J.B. (Dunmore, PA)
Mr. Fever: I've been searching my memory but I cannot recall the last time Penn State had a former walk-on become the starting QB (which might happen Saturday). Do you recall if/when this ever happened?
Yellow Fever
No.
Yellow Fever (Jersey City, NJ)
Beano, you think Notre Dame will play for the national title!??!? WHAT
Yellow Fever
More coverup.
No, you didn’t read what i said. I said if they win the six games they will play fot the national title. I didn’t say they they will play. Read what I said!
This was edited to:
No, you didn't read what I said. I said if they win their first six games they will play for the national title. I didn't say they they will play. Read what I said!
I did read what you said. Please, stop it Beano. Please. No one's buying the act anymore. It's ok if you go to a nursing home. No one will think any less of you.
mike (corvallis,OR)
if oregon state can beat tcu @ boise state will they play for the title
Yellow Fever
Moot point now, Mike! Though like Beano, I think if they did were to win both games as well as go undefeated in conference play, they would probably play for the national title.
Larry (San Antonio)
Does Southern Miss have any chance tomorrow night against South Carolina?
Yellow Fever
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to show this again, Larry.
Nick (Denver)
Hey Fever, why are you hating baseball? It is America's past time.
Yellow Fever
As much as I love fantasy baseball myself, I find actually watching the games to be dreadfully boring. There's just so much god damn dead time.
And yes, I'm aware football is much the same way in terms of the dead time/actual time ratio, but at least there's the added bonus of possible traumatic injury on every play.
Phil (Chicago)
Now that BYU is going independent, what other team could benefit from going independent?
Yellow Fever
My Virginia Tech pick isn't doing so well.
As far as teams that could benefit from going independent, I think Texas is the obvious one, as evidenced by the way the whole alignment saga this past summer revolved around their decision. Could USC do the same? Could other teams pull it off as well, like USC, Penn State, Miami, or Alabama? They probably could to varying degrees of success; you'd obviously need a school with a huge national following in order to do that. Anecdotally I don't see a whole lot of Alabama or Florida gear around here, but I do see a lot of USC stuff. So USC would probably be my pick for the team most likely to succeed in going independent.
Chad (Iowa City)
Notre Dame will lose to Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue this year...bank on it!
Yellow Fever
I like Brian Kelly...but I like Rich Rod more. Go Denard Robinson!
Travis C. (Lake Highlands)
How many more years do you think Mack Brown will coach at Texas?
Yellow Fever
I just hope he coaches long enough to make the trip to Berkeley. So it wouldn't surprise me if he retired right before that.
Tommy (Texas)
What do you think LSU's chances are of going 10-2?
Yellow Fever
LSU did look pretty good in beating an eviscerated UNC team (up until the fourth quarter), so it wouldn't surprise me if they did go 10-2. Especially given how epically weak Florida's offense looks.
James (MI)
What's your prediction for Michigan this year?
Yellow Fever
I think 9-3 is eminently achievable, with losses at Ohio State, Notre Dame (maybe), and some other random team because that's what Rich Rod's teams did even when they were at their best.
Fred (LA)
Thoughts on BYU going indy? Wise move or just envy of Utah?
Yellow Fever
I don't think it's a terribly wise move for the reasons I detailed above. I also don't think it's envy of Utah, but was likely impacted by Utah in that losing their main rival to another conference lessened their incentive to stay where they are.
Nick (Denver)
Should the start of the college football season be a national holliday?
Yellow Fever
Way to suck up to try and get back into Beano's good graces, you shameless twit. Also, just because Matt Holliday spells his last name that way does not mean that's how it's actually spelled.
Matt (MA)
Will Urban Meyer and FL ever play a non-conference game out of state?
Yellow Fever
Jake (Honolulu, HI)
What do you think will become of the WAC?
Yellow Fever
Like I said last week, I think they pull in a couple of lower tier teams to stick around for the short term, but it wouldn't surprise me if the league splintered altogether. It's not like they have any rich tradition to uphold.
Nick (Atlanta)
Thoughts on UGA this year? Is Murray a Greene clone? If so, how many wins?
Yellow Fever
Just to show that I am the anti-Beano, I have no love for Georgia, and the only person I know on Georgia is A.J. Green. And wasn't he suspended? I'll throw 8-4 out there.
Cole Berger (Missouri)
Do you think Missouri will finish in the t25 come seasons end???
Yellow Fever
After they lost to Illinois...
pk (boston)
fever - willing to trade a pair of oriole/toronto tickets for pair of nd/purdue interested?
Yellow Fever
It's people like pk that make Beano chats borderline unreadable. And you just know he's the kind of guy who's going to turn around and root for THE SAWX TO BEAT THE DAMN YANKEES every night too.
Gerry (DALLAS)
Fever, who is this year's biggest sleeper team in college football?And what team is the most overrated?
Yellow Fever
Based on the early returns, is it too much of a stretch to call our Bears a huge sleeper? It probably is, but, you know. KEENAN ALLEN!
Otherwise, most overrated is looking like either Florida or Oklahoma. Those were some putrid offensive performances for their QBs.
Mike Gorman (San Francisco)
Hello Fever! Do you think Jake Locker will win the heisman, and how many games do you think the dawgs will winthanks
Yellow Fever
He probably would have had a decent shot had the Huskies beaten the Cougars, but he has none now. As for the team's record, I figure they go 7-5.
Heath (Houston)
Fever...what is Kirk's obsession with Ohio State? How can he be allowed to run a one man campaign for that school year after year...
Yellow Fever
You do know that he went there, right? You could say the same thing about Mark May with Pitt...or even Lou Holtz and Beano with Notre Dame.
And now, for those (few) questions that were actually submitted in last week's comments section.
Nonplussed
Which was a better move by Brigham Young for independence: leading his people to the desert or leaving the MWC? And who in the world is going to schedule those guys late in the season during the middle of a conference race?
Yellow Fever
If I were Beano, I'd make a locust joke here. Or actually, if I were Beano, I'd have lived through the locust attack...and then have forgotten about it by now.
I'm going go with leading his people to the desert. As far as scheduling, I don't think the timing is necessarily an issue - late in the season, early in the season, I think the problems will be the same, in that the potential drawbacks from losing to BYU outweigh the potential gains for most name-brand schools. Notre Dame has the reputation to be able to schedule whom they want in the middle of their opponents' conference schedules, but I just don't see why a team like USC, Miami, or LSU would want to schedule BYU regularly.
Then again, they did sign on for a home-and-home with Texas, so while they don't need to schedule these schools specifically repeatedly, they might be able to get enough of them in any given year to have a decent schedule. It certainly makes putting together a schedule much tougher, but maybe it can be done. I'm just not sure.
cleancutmedia
How did YOU end up as one of the writers of CGB? no seriously, jokes aside, just curious how contributors are determined.
Yellow Fever
As Twist said:
Yellow Fever, ragnarok, and myself started this site back in 2006. We later asked other writers to come on board to help us with certain content. For example, we felt that CBKWit had a great basketball knowledge. More recently, we felt that solarise had great recruiting knowledge. YF was one of the original members.
From what I remember of that beginning process, I was in the middle of my first project at work reading emails 70 hours a week (for beaucoup bucks!) when Twist brought up the notion that we should start a Cal blog together. So we did. After some fits and starts (which included the first appearance of Ms. YF) as well as our first attempt at Sunshine Pumping, we eventually matured into the well-oiled machine you see today. Even if a few grandmothers had to lose their homes along the way.
So that's it for this year's second edition of Ask YF - I'll continue to answer questions from Beano's chats for the foreseeable future, but we would love it if you readers would pose those questions you'd like answered by any of us on the CGB staff, and we'll do our best to answer them for you. Go Bears! AND KEENAN ALLEN!