Music City Bowl Preview

This Friday, Mississippi State will play Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN. Many have marked Mississippi State's season a disappointment. Mississippi State started the year ranked top 20 in most polls. Injuries on the offensive line and close games have lead the Bulldogs to a 6-6 season. And while, yes, it was a disappointing season, most everyone will tell you that reaching this bowl game was a rather large step for MSU in the long run. This marks only the 4th time in school history that the Bulldogs have reached back-to-back bowl games and the first time since the 2000 season.

The Bulldog's opponent, Wake Forest (6-6), is in the process of getting back on top. The Demon Deacons received a BCS-bowl bid in 2006. They lost in the Orange Bowl to Louisville 26-14. This is the Demon Deacons first bowl bid since the 2008 season.

Mississippi State has been somewhat of a mystery this season with performances that range from a dominant victory against Ole Miss to a blowout loss to Arkansas.However, Wake Forest has played fairly consistent this season. With a win against ranked (at the time) Florida State and a near win against BCS-bound Clemson. Both of these teams will be looking to claim a winning season.

Wake Forest plays a unique style of a 3-4 defense. This defense has many different schemes and blitzes. Look for Miss. State to take advantage of  linebacker-wide receiver mismatches during this game. Screen passes and quick throws will neutralize this blitz-happy defense.

On offense,Wake Forest will use an air attack that the Bulldogs haven't seen since Arkansas (and that didn't turn out too well for MSU). Lead by Tanner Price ( 2803 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs), WF will test Mississippi State deep through the air early and often . And MSU better keep an eye on WR Chris Givens, a Mississippi native who is having a very special season ( 1276 yards, 74 receptions, 9 TDs).

With all of that said, let's look at my keys to this game.

Wake Forest's Keys to the Game

• Test the MSU secondary DEEP early and often.
• Get the passing game going early, and it will open up the ground game.
• Blitz Bulldog quarterbacks Chris Relf and Tyler Russell and force them to make costly mistakes.

Mississippi State's Keys to the Game

• Take advantage of any Linebacker-WR mismatches.
• Use screen passes and quick throws to slow down WF's Defense
• Play assignment football on defense. Lock down the passing game and WF won't be able to do much on offense.
• Run the ball down hill at the defense. WF is a speedy team. Don't go around them, go through them.

Prediction: I just pointed out what each team will have to do to win this game. I think it will be easier for MSU to beat WF for one reason: They have a team that is battle-tested because they have already played the best teams in the nation. One of those top teams (Arkansas), thrashed the dogs. If WF can match Arkansas's offensive firepower, it could be a long day for MSU.  Not Happening.  MSU 41, WF 24.

A competition.

In anticipation for bowl season, I have created a group for ESPN's College Bowl Mania. Winner gets a shout out on the blog!

Click here to be taken to the group homepage. The password for the group is goodwin.

The End (And the Beginning of Something Special)

Basically, football season is over. Yes, there are bowl games, championships, all-star games, and even coaching controversy,but nothing will ever replace the empty void left in me on Friday nights and Saturdays. And since I must acknowledge this, I will recap this past season to help cope with the emptiness that is the end of football season.

High School Football

I had the pleasure of going to all but one of the Madison Central football games(missed the Greenville game), and I have never been more proud of being a Jag. The Jags DESTROYED teams on the ground by essentially running about 5 plays. It is tough to not make it past the North State Championship game for the 4th year in a row, but the Jags will recover and regroup this offseason like they always do. This season was not short of drama for MC. The Jags started off 0-2, beat rival NWR 52-20 in a hyped-up, televised game, and lost a close game against the eventual 6A state champions, Olive Branch, in the North State Championship game. But let me tell you one thing. If you thought the Jags were talented this year, wait till next year. The Jags sophomore class is as talented as any in the school's history. The sophomore class has won its conference the past three years with a combined record of 24-0. Olive Branch will have lost most all talent by next year. South Panola will be just as much of a non factor next year. Look for the Jags to make a run at their first 6A championship ever.

College Football

Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State had disappointing seasons. The good news for Ole Miss? The season is over and you have hired a new coach who has pumped new life into the nearly dead football program. So the question posed to you, Ole Miss fans, is: Are Hugh Ready?(PUN. NY) State's disappointing season was highlighted earlier in the season with a close loss to Auburn. There were several games decided by very few points. Who knows? A few different outcomes on plays, and State might be a 8-4 team.

Southern Miss football was not a disappointment. Recording the schools most victories in a season and a C-USA championship had Larry Fedora's name popping up like Dan Mullen's at nearly every school without a coach. Since then, Larry Fedora has accepted the job at the University of North Carolina.

Conclusion

Thanks for following my blog with me the last couple of weeks for football and other things. I hope this was as much fun for you as it was for me. I'm looking forward to next year and possibly expanding the blog's coverage to more schools than just MC.  It's time to shift gears to basketball and baseball. Hopefully I will be covering MC in these sports as well (as often as possible).

Finally, it will be tough to continue to write here (seeing as baseball and basketball are not exactly the king sports in Mississippi). I will try to write as often as possible. However, lots of information will be passed through twitter. So as soon as you're done reading this go to twitter and follow me @GOODWIN_SPORTS.

A proposition. If you are at all interested in writing for the blog (no matter the opinion), contact me on twitter. If you would like to write for your high school sports team, I would be more than happy to use that on my blog. I would love to make this a place for eveyone's opinion and not just mine.

And on a personal note, I would like to thank everyone for their continued support. The thoughts and comments have meant a lot to me. Continue to read and develop your own personal opinion of all things in the world. Thank you so much.

MC@Olive Branch Live Stream

Are you not gonna be able to make it up to Olive Branch? Well that's okay. You can still watch the game! Below is a link to the Olive Branch athletics website. The link will take you to the page where a live stream of the game will be played.

Link to game: http://www.quistorsports.com/?page_id=265. GO JAGS!

P.S. If this doesn't work, I WILL be tweeting live from Olive Branch tonight. Follow me on Twitter @GOODWIN_SPORTS .

Friday Night Writes: Madison Central @ Olive Branch- North State Championship

A rematch. That's what will take place this Friday night in Olive Branch, MS.  The Jags of Madison Central High School will play the role of underdog when they take on the Conquistadors of Olive Branch High School at 7 p.m. The first time these teams played, it took a two-minute drill for the Conquistadors to beat the Jags. So expect a very close game. The winner of this game will head to Jackson to play the winner of the Meridian- Petal in the 6A State Title game.

Madison Central is led by Drew Rowell and Hugh Warren. They have combined for over 2,200 yards of rushing this season. Running back Brandon Moore will not play the rest of the season due to a wrist injury. The running back duties will fall on Brandon Collins. Collins is averaging nearly 6 yards per carry this year. The Jags also boast a defense that held the run-heavy South Panola Tigers to 14 points. The Jag's front seven were EXTREMELY impressive last Friday night. The secondary has played well beyond my expectations recently, forcing two interceptions in the past two games.

Olive Branch is led by stud Senior QB Todd Mays. Mays has over 3,000(!!!) total yards. Mays is enough to deal with by himself. However, OB also boasts one of the nations top WR's. D'Arthur Cowan, a Arkansas commit, has over 1,100 yards with ONLY 56 catches. The Olive Brach Conquistadors also boast these.

As a Madison Central student, I think I speak for all my fellow Jags. Bobby Hall, Sign us up for these jerseys!

KEYS TO THE GAME

• Madison Central's defense must work as a unit. The D-Line must get to Todd Mays and then force a bad pass. The secondary must keep the talented OB WR's contained. Speaking of contained, you must keep Todd Mays contained as well. Sounds like a lot? It is. The key to this key is TACKELING. I remember one specific play from the August match up with these teams. Todd Mays made 9 tacklers miss. 9!!! Tackle, tackle, tackle!
• Olive Branch's defense has one simple task. Stop MC's run game. If they do that, this game will not even be close. MC has proved time and time again that they simply just cannot pass the football.
• MC's offense must be able to score at the same pace as OB or this game will get out of hand very fast. Very few punts for the Jags will allow the Jags to put more points on the board and more importantly, keep the ball out of Todd Mays hands.
• Olive Branch must torch the Jags through the air. Todd Mays threw for over 250 yards the past time these two teams played.
• The Jags must keep the ball out of the Todd Mays' hands in the final 4 minutes. This offense is SERIOUS GOOD. Stop him or leave yourself time to score the winning score.
• If the Jags win the turnover battle, MC WILL win.

Prediction: Rod Walker of the Clarion Ledger picked MC to lose to Northwest Rankin and South Panola. The Jags won both of those games. Walker has picked OB in this game as well. Most all Jag fans think that Rod Walker picking the opposite team is a good sign. I agree. Thanks Rod. MC-38, OB-35

The Egg Bowl- 107th Battle

This coming Saturday night, a championship game will be played in the state of Mississippi. And while this game won't decide national or even conference championships, it WILL decide who gets bragging rights for the next 366 days. The 107th meeting between Ole Miss and MSU will take place in Starkville . The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU at 6 p.m. The are several story lines going into Saturday night's game. For Ole Miss, Houston Nutt and his assistants will be coaching their last game as the Ole Miss coaching staff, capping off a more than disappointing season. But rest assured that his players will want to send him off a winner. For Mississippi State, there is a sense of confidence, maybe even arrogance surrounding this match up. And maybe rightfully so. State will enter Davis-Wade Stadium winners of the past two egg bowls. They will also enter as the largest favorite in egg bowl history. The spread on this game is 17.5(!!!) points. And check out this first in college football, hashtags in the endzone!!!


( I don't care who you pull for, this is AWESOME.)

Ole Miss enters this game with the 94th worst total defense in the division 1. Out of 120 teams.
And it could be worse. State has the 87th worst total offense in the nation averaging about 386 yards per game. However (Ole Miss fans) if you just laughed at that,save your breathe. Ole Miss is 114th in total offense. Yeah. And State has a pretty good defense. 32nd in the nation in scoring defense. Oh, and by the way. Numbers mean nothing in such a heated rivalry. So forget everything I just said.

You know? Honestly there's only one chance Ole Miss has in my mind. If Ole Miss's freshmen come out to play for coach Nutt, Mississippi State might just have a game on their hands.

The Stake's are high. Bragging rights. A bowl game for Mississippi State. And for Ole Miss, nothing could be sweeter than denying MSU a bowl game.

MSU's Right Tackle Addison Lawrence said it best. "I think they're going to come out fired up and hot, but if we jump on them, I think they'll kind of lay down. I feel like they're wanting to lay down in a way, because of the things that have been happening here recently."

Prediction: As a state fan I HAVE to pick State. However I will pick 2 outcomes so I don't seem TOO biased.

1. MSU- 38, Ole Miss- 10
2. MSU- 42, Ole Miss-35 2OT

Friday Night Writes: South Panola @ MCHS- 2nd Round 6A Playoffs

The 2nd Round of the 6A MHSAA Playoffs begin tonight. Arguably the most intriguing match up of the night, the South Panola Tigers will take on the Madison Central Jaguars. The Tigers have ended the Jag's past three seasons. The Jags are just plain tired of losing to South Panola. South Panola is the standard of football in the state of Mississippi. They have won 8 state championships since 1993. 5 of those were in a row. And if they didn't win the championship, they were runner up. That's right. They have been to the state championship every year since 1993.

Madison Central is led by seniors Drew Rowell and Hugh Warren who lead the team in rushing with over 2,000 combined yards. The Jags will be without leading running back Brandon Moore for the rest of the season. He is out with a broken wrist. The Jags will have to rely on sophomore RB's Doug Ball and Dillan Langley. However, the Jags will mainly rely on Rowell and Warren.

The University of South Panola will ride a 6 game win streak into The Jungle. They are led by 5 players who have rushed for over 100 yards this season. Namely, Antonio Conners leads the team with over 1,400 rushing yards this season. They are led on defense by Ole Miss commits Issac Gross (he's a huge human. HUGE.) and Temerio Strong. The Tigers will be without QB Tevis Flowers who was arrested this past week for shoplifting a Gatorade towel from Wal-mart.

KEYS TO THE GAME

• The Jags will have to win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On offense they must account for both Temerio Strong and Issac Gross. On defense, they will have to keep the massive South Panola O-Line in check.
• If your a Jag, stop Antonio Conners and you will stop the Tigers. He is the key to their offense. If your a Tiger, force the run game on the smaller Jag defense. FORCE IT.
• The sophomore RB's for MC must hold on to the ball. And if your S.P., make the sophomores FEEL your presence.
• For both teams, make your field goals and extra points. This game might be that close.

Team Stats (Maxpreps.com)

Rushing Yards/ game: SP, 245/ MC, 350
Passing Yards/ game: SP, 71/ MC, 41
Yards/ game: SP, 316/ MC, 391
Tackles/ game: SP, 38/ MC, 54
Points/ game: SP, 29/ MC, 35


Prediction: Close game in the first half. Jags pull away in the 3rd Quarter. MCHS-24, UofSP-14

Friday Night Writes: Tupelo @ Madison Central- 1st Round Playoffs

MSHAA's 6A playoffs begin tonight. Two of the biggest schools in the state will face off this friday night. The Tupelo Golden Wave (6-5) will take on the Madison Central Jaguars (9-2).

Madison Central is led by M-W-R. (Brandon) Moore, (Hugh) Warren, and (Drew) Rowell, that is. They have rushed for a combined 2749 yards this season. However, the Jags have completed a measly 32 passes.

Tupelo is led Junior Running Back Ashton Shumpert. One thing to watch is that Tupelo will use Shumpert out of the Wild Cat tonight. Shumpert is averaging nearly 81 yards a game on the ground. The Golden Wave are using a two-quarterback system. QB Luke Hobson is averaging 115 yards a game through the air, while his counter-part, Thomas Harris, is averaging 80 yards passing per game.

Keys to the Game

• Jags will have to control the line of scrimmage on defense. And IF a Tupelo player gets past it, the linebackers and secondary must make tackles.
• The Golden Wave aren't just spectacular on offense. However, to make the playoffs, you have to be pretty good at either offense or defense. So, it must be the Jags key to keep the Golden Wave defense by either guessing or pounding the line of scrimmage. I think the will do the latter.
• The Jags offense will have to limit their turnovers. Especially on their own side of the field.

I honestly don't see this being much of a game. The only way Tupelo has a chance is if the Jags come out flat. So, in conclusion, (in my opinion) only the Jags can beat the Jags. Limit turnovers and they will win.

Prediction: Madison Central-45, Tupelo-28. Plus, the Jags will rush for 350+ yards.

Success with Honor- Penn State

There is no way to describe how much this should bother you.  Maybe bother isn't the right word. Maybe infuriate is the right word. See, the worst thing about this situation is that Penn State University chose football over morals and ethics. They picked football over justice. They picked football over several children's childhoods. Scratch that. Not childhood. This will affect their entire lives. NO ONE should have to live through what these children will have to go through.

One thing that I probably don't have to point out in this situation is that this is football. Penn State forgot that. They forgot that life is bigger than football. Life is bigger than sports. Period. It's hard for me to believe that so many people at this public university had a chance to stop this. And every, single person that who had a chance to stop this, chose not to. How can so many people allow something so wrong to continue to happen for so long? To me, there is only one logical answer. The people who represent Penn State (Administration, Faculty, Students, etc.) chose football. So, if you don't know what happened with former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky at Penn State, read on.

At a football camp in March of 2002, graduate assistent Mike McQuery walked in on Sandusky raping a ten-year old boy. Sandusky saw McQuery. McQuery proceeded to tell Joe Paterno. Paterno told the Athletic Director. The AD told the vice president. The VP told the president. The line stopped there. Covered up. 1,2,3,4,5 people had the chance to stop this from continuing. McQuery was there. He could have stopped the situation. It all would have ended. But no, he told Paterno. Paterno, fulfilling his "legal" obligations, told the AD. But the way I see it, that is ALL Paterno did. He fulfilled his LEGAL obligations. Not his MORAL or ETHICAL obligations. Joe Paterno chose football. DO YOU SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD HAVE STOPPED THIS?  All of them chose football over the right thing. And what were the consequences? Children's lives were altered forever.

At an institution where the slogan is "Success with Honor", the question must be asked. Can Penn State say this anymore?And Success at what? This university's mission is to educate people.They chose football over education. And was there any honor in what happened with Sandusky? Was there any honor in the riots that proceeded the firing of Joe Paterno? The students were more upset about the firing of Paterno than what happened to these innocent children at their own learning institution! All things in this scandal point to the same thing for me. People forgot that sports (a hobby) isn't as important as the value of the health of people.

Another sad part of this story is that this could've happened anywhere. Yes. It happened at Penn State. But more and more people are forgetting that football is just a sport. Nothing more. More and more universities are forgetting that football is just a sport. Nothing more. Universities are treating football as so much more than it really is. A sport. So the sad truth to this story is another question.

Can any institution say "Success with Honor" anymore?

The Weekend Depth Chart

First String

• Wow. Did you see that game? LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in OT. Both defenses were tough and tenacious. I'm not here to brag that I not only picked the correct winner, but I picked the correct margin of victory. Seriously, I did. Check out the article below this one to see the proof. Now I have a question that I think needs to be answered. So, if the best two teams should meet in the national championship, shouldn't LSU play Alabama again? In my mind, those two are, without a doubt, the best teams in America. Some will argue for other undefeated teams in different conferences. But seriously, if you think that, you need to watch this game again. Guys, you are looking at an Alabama team so loaded that if it had played against any other team in the history of college sports, I would pick Alabama. AND THEY ARE STILL NUMBER 2 IN THE SEC!!!!  On a side note to that, I would love to see a Boise State vs. SEC match up. Then the SEC could beat them by 60 points, and Boise State would be quiet. Back to my point guys, watch this situation. This is potentially VERY interesting.
• Houston Nutt has been fired at the University of Mississippi. While anyone getting fired is a serious situation, I will be the first to say this (because we were ALL thinking it). SYLVESTER CROOM TO OLE MISS. OK, I was joking. But this news will also bring with it new coaching rumors, which can be a distraction to the team. And without an "official" athletic director, finding the right coach will be even harder.
• Compared to College Football news this weekend, NFL was just plain OK. It's official. The Colts have gone from the top to the bottom. And it has been a matter of one player.The good Saint's team is back. And they play pretty well. Tim Tebow says, "Haters gonna hate." Dude can play. And most importantly win. The Patriots are slipping. Oh, and did I mention that Eli Manning is elite? 
• COLLEGE BASKETBALL HAS STARTED!!! MSU fans can watch MSU take on Akron Wendesday at the Hump on ESPNU at 6 o'clock CST.

Second String

• Possibly one of the greatest things I've ever seen. (They got a technical foul.)
• Names to mention on the Ole Miss job opening. Rich Rodriguez, Mike Leach, Mark Hudspeth, Manny Diaz, just to name a few.

What do you think about these things?

QUICK! College Football Preview

Key-word here. Quick.

Texas Tech @ 21 Texas- This game depends on which Texas Tech team shows up. I think the team that showed up against Iowa State will show up again. Texas plays balanced football with some good defense. TEXAS- 35, TEXAS TECH- 28

Vanderbilt @ Florida- If this game wasn't at The Swamp, I would pick Vandy. They're hot. Even after a loss to Arkansas. However, home-field advantage is worth at least 10 points in the SEC. This game will probably depend on how UF's offense plays. Vandy will score no matter how Florida's D plays. I think the Gator's offense will pull through. UF- 24, VANDY- 21

Texas A&M @ 6 Oklahoma- A&M is a good team. However, they lack the ability to go for the other team's jugular. In all 3 of their losses, they have been ahead at one point. I don't think they will have a chance to even be ahead in this game. OU- 45, TEXAS A&M- 21

Ole Miss @ Kentucky- OK, just let me say this. As undeniably bad as Ole Miss is this season, Kentucky is worse. If you have watched them play football for at least 1 quater, you know how they play. Sloppy. Turnovers. Penalties. Missed tackles. It's just ugly. Oh, and Houston needs a win. OLE MISS- 28, KENTUCKY- 13

25 Southern Miss @ Eastern Caroina- Southern has a really good offense. And compared to the defenses they play, that really good offense looks great. USM- 42, ECU- 14

9 South Carolina @ 7 Arkansas- I have a dilemma picking this game. Arkansas always starts off slow. South Carolina is an overrated team in my opinion. The key, I think, is that Arkansas starts off fast to win this game. I think they will. ARKANSAS- 35, USC- 24

14 Kansas State @ 3 Oklahoma State- KSU plays a type of football that requires a great defense. They have that. The only problem is that they are facing one of the nation's top offenses. It will test that great defense like never before. Ultimately, I think that defense will break. OSU- 52, KSU- 35

UT-Martin @ Mississippi State- If you watch this, you will get to get a good look at some freshmen. MSU- 45, UT- MARTIN- 13

1 LSU @ 2 Alabama- See yesterday's post. Seriously, I don't just want to repeat most of what Alex said. Tough game. LSU- 20, ALABAMA- 17.

Any thoughts/comments/predictions?

Guest Column- LSU @ Alabama Preview

This is a new idea I have finally started up. I'm extremely excited to see other people's opinion on the Good-Win! Sports Blog. If you are interested in writing for the blog, talk to me about it. We'll see what we can do.

Alabama vs. LSU

By: Alex Tubb

Tuscaloosa will be rocking as the "Game of the Century" takes place this weekend in Bryant-Denny Stadium as the #1 LSU Tigers take on the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide. This will be the fifth time since 2000 the #1 and #2 teams play each other in a game other than the National Championship.

College Football is a game of momentum, and Alabama definitely has the momentum going into this game. Think about it. Saturday night in Tuscaloosa is probably the toughest environment in all of sports to play in if the name of your team isn’t the “Alabama Crimson Tide".  Alabama fans are so rowdy that they accidently confused their own offense against Tennessee 2 weeks ago. 

Another advantage Alabama has is just better coaching.  I wouldn't want to face Nick Saban coming off a BYE week.  Not taking anything away from Les Miles, but I think Nick is more built for this situation that Les is. Although both have been in games like this, I believe Nick Saban knows exactly what to tell his players and how to get them in the perfect mind set for Saturday’s game.

Establishing the run is going to be the most important factor in this game for the LSU offense. They're facing an Alabama rush defense that’s only given up an average of 49 rush yards per game.  LSU doesn't have much of a pass attack.  Averaging only 180 yards per game, Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee's passing attack is only the 100th best in the nation. Even IF they had much of a passing attack, Alabama has the 3rd best Passing Defense in the country. Another important factor is that Alabama is not the best first half team. Tennessee and Ole Miss were hanging with the Tide in the first half of their games. LSU is going to have to be explosive in the first half, because that's where they have been most successful.

Like LSU, Alabama needs to get their rushing game started early in the game.  LSU has one of the best rush defenses in the country as well as pass defense, so it will be up to Trent Richardson and company to take the pressure off AJ McCarron, who has thrown 3 Interceptions this year. The biggest flaw in this offense is a lack of scoring in the first half.  They MUST produce some points against this LSU defense in the early stages of the game. If they slip too far behind, it might be too late.  Alabama's defense is the best in nation, averaging less than 7 points per game scored against them. They have stopped the run and pass all year, but they haven't faced an offense like LSU’s. The Tide should watch out for trick plays as well as big plays. There's no telling what the Mad Hatter has up his sleeves. If the Bama defense stays as disciplined as they have all year, they should be in good shape.

In my opinion, LSU is the only team that can beat Alabama; and Alabama is the only team that can beat LSU. Just goes to show the power of the SEC. I think the NCAA should bring the National championship trophy to Tuscaloosa this Saturday and crown the winners national champs right then and there. It would save some Big 10 team both embarrassment and injuries. It's going to be a great game and I can’t wait to watch it!

My prediction, though, is ALABAMA wins at home 28-24.

Thanks to Alex for an excellent column! Any comments/ thoughts on the game this Saturday?

The Weekend Depth Chart

First String

• Man, there sure was some excellent college football on this weekend. Stanford beat USC in triple OT. Luckily, I caught the tail-end of that game. Vandy nearly upset Arkansas. And Case Keenum made a Heisman statement (and history). 
• I know what I'm about to say has absolutely nothing to do with last weekend, but I'm so ready for the National Championship game on November 5th. Okay. Maybe it's not THE national championship game. But the LSU @ Alabama game is as close as your going to get until January. The Good-Win! Sports Blog is hoping to have a guest blogger on this topic very soon.
• There was so much college football going on last weekend that it was hard to remeber that the NFL was playing football too. The Rams shocked the Saints for their first victory of the year. Can Cam Newton catch a break? And has Tom Brady lost his touch? 
• Oh, and we have a new world champion in Major League Baseball. Congrats, Cardinals fans.

Second String

• We knew Kevin Durant was a sport star. But possibly a two-sport star?

College Hoops- Preview

In my opinion, there is absolutely NOTHING as exciting in sports as march madness. It's hard to imagine that college sports are about to be in full swing. College football (conference championships, bowl games, etc.) and college basketball combine to make an thrilling time of the year for sports junkies like me. College basketball can also help get your mind off other sports (cough,cough....ole miss....Mississippi State...). So let's start this preview. Here's this year's preseason top 25. (Note the margin between the number of first place votes between UNC and Kentucky)

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	North Carolina (30)	0-0	774
2	Kentucky (1)	0-0	721
3	Ohio State	0-0	702
4	Connecticut	0-0	655
5	Syracuse	0-0	649
6	Duke	0-0	635
7	Vanderbilt	0-0	567
8	Louisville	0-0	514
9	Memphis	0-0	482
10	Florida	0-0	474
11	Pittsburgh	0-0	471
12	Baylor	0-0	358
13	Kansas	0-0	331
14	Wisconsin	0-0	313
15	Xavier	0-0	277
16	Arizona	0-0	269
17	Alabama	0-0	194
18	Michigan	0-0	187
19	Texas A&M	0-0	161
20	UCLA	0-0	147
21	Marquette	0-0	145
22	Cincinnati	0-0	141
23	Gonzaga	0-0	125
24	California	0-0	111
25	Missouri	0-0	110

• Others receiving votes: Florida State 108, Texas 107, Michigan State 73, Temple 59, Washington 29, Butler 25, New Mexico 22, Creighton 19, Villanova 18, Purdue 17, UNLV 16, West Virginia 13, George Mason 12, Mississippi State 11, St. John's 11, Saint Mary's 5, Virginia 5, Virginia Commonwealth 4, Drexel 2, Kansas State 2, Long Beach State 2, Notre Dame 1, Brigham Young 1

The Power Conferences

1. Big  East

This comes as no surprise to anyone, but the Big East is poised to be the conference to beat this year.  With 10 teams receiving votes in the above poll, the Big East is looking strong this year.

    2.ACC

The ACC should probably be renamed to the ABC (Atlantic Basketball Conference). This conference LIVES for basketball. With some of the most talented teams in college basketball (UNC, Duke, WV), this is the conference that is most likely going to beat the Big East this year.

Sleeper Conferences

1. SEC

With 2 teams in the preseason top 10 this year and teams loaded with raw talent (Alabama, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss), look for the SEC to get hot this year around March Madness.

    2. Big 12 (10 or 9.... I forget.)

With teams like Texas and Kansas, all 9 or 10 teams in the Big 12 will be pushed to be better better this season. Look at K-State or Texas A&M as specific sleepers this year to win this conference.

The Best of the Rest

1. Xavier
2. Temple
3. Butler
4. George Mason
5. Saint Mary's
6. Murrah State
7. Virginia Commonwealth
8. Belmont
9. Harvard
10. Cornell

With ALL of that said, I'm really hoping for some crazy good basketball this winter.

Friday Night Writes: Thursday Edition- MCHS @ Northwest Rankin HS

What you are about to read is the preview to arguably the most anticipated regular season game of this year in the state of Mississippi.

Madison Central High School VS. Northwest Rankin High School

The Jaguars will walk into Cougar Stadium this Thursday night a very hot team. The Jaguars, ranked #5 by clarionledger.com's Super 10 rankings, average nearly 33 points a game and nearly 330 rushing yards a game. As hot as the Jaguars are, the #4 NWR cougars are even hotter. The winners of 9 straight games are averaging nearly 30 points a game. Plus, they're playing pretty good defense, especially on the D-line. NWR's defense is averaging 2.5 sacks a game ( but we'll talk about that later).

This is a heated rivalry game and I've talked to several fans on both sides. So I'll tell you what the average arguement is on both sides:

• NWR: "We're undefeated. 9-0. What's y'all's record? That's right. 7-2."
• MCHS: "We've played better teams! We have a harder schedule! Y'all can barely beat a 4A team ( NWR beat Mendenhall 47-44 in a very close game)!"

This discussion might be ended with several harsh words form both sides.

NWR is led by RB Ramone Nash.  This man, or beast, is AVERAGING 163 yards a game. AVERAGING!   He also accounts for nearly 2 touchdowns a game for the Cougars. QB Reid Humphreys isn't too shabby throwing the ball either( 105 yds/gm passing).NWR can play some defense, too. Their D is led by LB Daniel Myrick and DL Will Freeman, both of whom are tackling machines. However, the Cougars have struggled against the run at time this season, giving up 305 yards against Mendenhall.

Madison Central's rushing attack is one of the most potent in the state. Led by Senior QB Drew Rowell, who is good with his feet, averaging nearly 7 yards/ carry. The Jags main problem is that their offense is one dimensional, averaging about 40 yards a game through the air. However, unlike the Cougars, the Jags have a unpredictable defense. The secondary is the main question in my opinion.

Keys to the Game

• The Cougars, as mentioned before, have an excellent defensive line. During the game, they will begin to key in on the Jags rushing plays. The Jags must keep the Cougars on their heels by choosing different plays in different formations, or by utilizing the play-action passing game.
• The Jags have a fairly good defensive line led by DE Martez Simpson. The key for the Jags defense is to not let Ramone Nash into the secondary. Once in the secondary, Nash will likely torch the shaky unit. About 75% of the TD's that the Jags D has allowed have been long plays of 40+ yards. Easy TD's will translate into a easy win fore the Cougars.
• The right Cougars defense has to show up. Not the same defense that gave up 305 yards to Mendenhall.
• This is the key that I think will determine this game. As when any 2 closely matched teams play, special teams is important. Win special teams and the game will probably be easier to win.

Prediction- I'm not sure who will win but I have a feeling that team will win...
42-39 in OT.

A Few Videos in Anticipation of the MCHS @ NWR Football Game

Yeah, it's a pretty big deal. More to come tomorrow.

The Weekend Depth Chart

The weekend review by Good-Win! Sports Blog.

First String

• As I sit here and write this, Game #5 of the World Series is being played. And after rereading my last weekend depth chart prediction about the Fall Classic, I KNOW I was absolutely correct about this being a good world series. This has been one of the best World Series since '03( Marlins vs. Yankees). The Marlins have long since fallen from glory, but that series lasted 6 games. Watching this World Series, it's hard not to pull for Ron Washington and Josh Hamilton. Hamilton has a great life story. Check it out. 
• Well, there's another prediction I was not completely wrong about ( I wasn't right either). Texas Tech defeated Oklahoma. So my prediction of a SEC vs Big 12 National Championship isn't wrong. However, right now it looks like Oklahoma State in the National Championship game instead of Oklahoma.
• Another upset of a top 5 team. This play says it all.

Second String

• Wow. Absolutely did not see this coming. Ole Miss played well against #9 Arkansas. Very well. Props to Houston Nutt for preparing his players for war. It came down to the wire, and the difference in the game was one intangible. Arkansas knew how to win. However, most Ole Miss fans were happy with this effort by the Rebels. I would be too.

Preview

• The game of the year in MHSAA football this year takes place this Thursday at Northwest Rankin High School. The Cougars, ranked # 3 in the state by the Clarion Ledger,  will take on the #7 ranked Jaguars of Madison Central. This game features 2 of the best rushing attacks in the state.

The Weekend Depth Chart

OK, so this isn't a real depth chart, but it is a fairly creative way for me to sum up this past weekend in sports.

First String

• The "Top 3" in college football had an excellent weekend outscoring opponents 137- 31. And let's face it the SEC will probably be decided on November 11th at Bryant- Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Oklahoma has a fairly easy schedule with their toughest game being at Oklahoma State. To me, it's looking like a Big 12 vs. SEC match up in the National Championship game.
• This year's Fall Classic is setup with the Rangers playing the Cardinals. Yes, the Rangers are the logical choice. Yes, on paper they look very, very good. And believe me, they ARE very, very good. However, there is one intangible that the Cards posses that is very important in all playoff situations. They are hot. Smoking hot. This year's World Series is looking very promising for ALL fans of baseball.
• We learned several things this past Sunday. You can only contain Tom Brady for 57 minutes. Sean Payton is hurt. And this (might?) affect his team. And Handshakes can be offensive.

Second String
(For this section, we'll highlight admirable effort)

• Mississippi State played very well for a team who has been spiraling downward. They gave the #15 USC Gamecocks a real scare. Tyler Russell didn't play great, but put his team in a position to win. And isn't that all you can really ask from a redshoirt sophmore? Connor Shaw looked OK too, using his legs to help the Gamecocks to a win.
• Texas played much better than I expected (and a lot of other people) . They played the #4 team in the BCS rankings extremely well.'
• Admirable effort indeed. Watch #21. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wJF6s9MtOM&feature=related

Injury Report
(Real Injuries)

• Sean Payton, Coach NO Saints- Out for a couple of days.
• Marcus Lattimore,RB USC Gamecocks- out for season
• I told you i wouldnt report on NASCAR, so I won't. But INDYCAR lost driver Dan Wheldon in a horrible crash this weekend. Our prayers are with his family.

Friday Night Writes: MCHS @ Vicksburg High School

The Madison Central Jaguars(5-2) travel to Vicksbug to take on the Vicksburg High School Gators (3-4).

The Jaguars, ranked #7 in the state by maxpreps.com, are lead by senior quarterback Drew Rowell who has 641 rushing yards on the year. Meanwhile, the Gators are lead by quarterback Cameron Cooksey who has lit up the recordbooks at Vicksburg by throwing for over 2,200 yards this season.

The Jaguars, who seem to have a shaky secondary at best, must face one the state's best passing offenses. The Gators' offense will also boast one of the states best WR's. AJ Stamps has nearly 1,000 recieving yards this season, and is averaging 11.4 points a game this season. The Gators look like a formidable foe.

With injury questions at fullback (Hugh Warren), the jags will rely on junior fullback Daniel Goodspeed to take the pitch on the option from Drew Rowell.

So the Jags will have to rely on a deep front 7 on defense led by DE's LJ Hollins and Martez Simpson. The key for this game will be to either get to Gator QB Cameron Cooksey quick to disrupt his timing or to jam the WR's. Or possibly both. Get to the quarterback quick, and the Jaguar secondary will have chances to make some plays on the ball.

The Jags seem to have one thing the Gators don't. Bobby Hall has taught them how to win.

Prediction: MCHS- 28, VHS- 10

QUICK! College Football Preview

Key-word here: Quick.

20 Baylor @ 21 Texas A&M(aTm)- As much as I like RG3, aTm is probably going to manhandle them. aTm is an underrated team in my opinion. aTm- 35, Baylor- 17

15 USC @ Miss. State- With Steven Garcia gone, this game will be close. MSU is the home team, and therefore will have a loud, ringing advantage. MSU- 31, USC- 28 (OT)

1 LSU @ Tenn.- Tenn. has zero chance in my mind. LSU has already beaten other, better teams. Not close in my mind. LSU- 45, Tenn.- 3

6 OK. St. @ 22 Texas- OK St. has an amazing offense. Texas has a pretty good defense. Might be a good game. Probably not. AMAZING OFFENSE>PRETTY GOOD DEFENSE. OK St.- 42, TX- 21

2 Alabama @ Ole Miss- Sorry Ole Miss fans. Alabama is just too good. Ole Miss might have a chance to win if they had a QB. Or a defense. Or a good coach. UA- 28, UM- 3

Florida @ 24 Auburn- Honestly, Auburn is just lucky right? I keep telling myself that but if they keep pulling the W's out, they may be more than lucky. Close game. UF- 24, AU-21

Your thoughts?

Welcome! (To You and Me!)

Well, this marks the beginning of a (hopefully successful) journey. I hope that I can give everyone reading this a new and unique way of looking at things in the sports world. I hope to cover several major sports (College Football, College Basketball, College Baseball, NFL, NBA, and MLB) as well as slightly covering (SLIGHTLY!) my local high school football team, THE Madison Central Jaguars.

Why make a blog? Well it's not because I'm a great writer! No, seriously I'm not. In the future, I'd love to have a job in the sports industry, so I figured why not start early? Another thing you should know about me is that I am very opinionated. VERY. So now I have a platform to voice that opinion.

I will admit this was probably not the best timing to start a blog, but I was so excited to start I had to start right now! Why is it not the best time? Well that's an easy question. I'm just too busy. Way. Too. Busy.

Even though I probably won't be able to watch much college football this weekend, I am looking forward to some SEC matchups. We will probably learn something about several of these teams this weekend. (MSU, USC, AU, and UF).

So with these things in mind, Let the games begin! (FINALLY!)