Newest article for College football roundtable

http://cfbroundtable.com/2014/leadership-confidence-fuel-vols/

My Pre-Season Top 25 for College Football

Pre-Season Top 25 Poll

1. Florida State

2. Alabama

3. Oregon

4. Auburn

5. Oklahoma

6. Michigan State

7. South Carolina

8. UCLA

9. Ohio State

10. Baylor

11. LSU

12. Stanford

13. Georgia

14. Wisconsin

15. USC

16. Clemson

17. Ole Miss

18. Arizona State

19. Texas A&M

20. Kansas State

21. Notre Dame

22. Nebraska

23. North Carolina

24. Missouri

25. Florida

Latest CFB Rountable article

This article covering the Vols most important games this year just went up, give it a look

http://cfbroundtable.com/2014/6-pivotal-games-decide-season/

First officially article as a sports writer

I have been very busy with my new gig as a Tennessee Vols Sports Writer for College Football Roundtable. I posted this last Tuesday, but i figured i would put it on here anyway

http://cfbroundtable.com/2014/volunteer-2/

World Cup Group Stage Winners

Let me start off this post with the teams in the World Cup and their respective groups

       Group A         Group B                   Group C          Group D

       Brazil               Australia                   Colombia        Costa Rica

      Cameroon           Chile                        Greece              England

       Croatia           Netherlands               Ivory Coast            Italy

       Mexico               Spain                         Japan               Uruguay

         

     Group E              Group F                Group G              Group H

       Ecuador            Argentina                 Germany                 Algeria

        France      Bosnia- Herzegovina       Ghana                     Belgium

    Honduras             Iran                          Portugal                   Russia 

   Switzerland           Nigeria                  United States             South Korea

   
In pretty much a week, all these teams, their fans, and the television sets throughout their nations will all be focused on Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. This is the one time that the entire world will be on the same time for another 4 more years. I'm going to show you which teams will make it through the group stage and onto the knockout round this year. 

From Group A:

Brazil

  

      This year's home team doesn't have a very difficult group to get through. Brazil will nab the top spot in their group without difficulty behind Neymar, Oscar, and David Luiz.

Mexico

     Mexico has seriously struggled against its fellow CONCACAF qualifying opponents, especially the US. Mexico isn't a lock to get to the round of 16, but i think they squeak by with the second spot in Group A. 

From Group B:

Spain

      Spain's roster looks more like an all-world team than an international one. Spain could have trouble with the Netherlands, but they still get the top spot.

Netherlands

      Robin. Van. Persie. He and the Netherlands will have no problem reaching the knockout round, and they could give Spain a run for the top spot in group B. I just don't see them actually grabbing the top spot. They move on second in the group. 

From Group C:

Ivory Coast

      With Drogba now playing post-prime, this could be a great time for Drogba and Gervinho to make a solid run into the knockout. Ivory Coast gets the top seed, not without playing good soccer though.

Colombia

      Falcao wasn't quite ready to come back from his injury, which led to being left off the 23-man roster. Colombia snags the second spot in Group C, but doesn't make it far in the knockout. 

From Group D:

Italy

      Possibly the toughest group in the World Cup, Italy will make it through to the next round in the top spot of group D

Uruguay

      Suarez leads this team into the knockout round, but just barely beats out England to get to the 16. 

From Group E:

France

      With Ribery and Benzema playing on the same team, it will be hard to keep these guys from easily grabbing the top spot. Not much to say here but they move on.

Ecuador

      I'll be completely honest, i don't know a whole lot about this Ecuador team. I know that they will not beat France, no one in the group will, but i think Ecuador makes it to the second spot in group E.

From Group F:

Argentina

      Messi might not even have to play to reach the knockout round out of this year's group. There is no one that threatens Argentina for the top spot. 

Bosnia

      This group might be the overall weakest one in the tournament. I don't think Bosnia makes it out of any other group, but they do this one. They grab the second spot and proudly march into the knockout round. 

From Group G:

Germany

       Germany will grab the top spot in this group, but will get hard fought games, from Ghana, Portugal and the U.S.. But in the end, the Germans are too much for the rest of the group. 

Portugal

        As much as i would like to say the U.S. will take the second spot, i just can't logically with good conscience do that. Portugal is an extremely good team, solid all around, and Ronaldo will just be too much to handle for Ghana and the U.S.. If Ronaldo ends up not being healthy for the World Cup, then watch for Ghana OR the U.S. to sneak into the last spot. 

From Group H:

Belgium

       With Kompany in the back and Hazard in the front, i don't see Belgium losing, much less not making it to the round of 16. But look to Algeria to possibly give the Belgians some trouble. 

Russia

        Another team i don't have a whole lot of knowledge about, but i think Russia still makes it through because of the other competition. 

       

Early SEC Predictions

It's extremely difficult to predict the winners of the most competitive football conference in the world. Especially when there are still approximately 80 something odd days left until the season starts, but i thought i would give it a shot. I believe that every team in the SEC has became at least marginally better than the previous year. With every SEC recruiting class being in the top 50 nationally, and the majority of the SEC being in the top 20, this could be more of the most productive freshmen classes in a while. There is a lot of potential on both sides of the conference for these freshmen to start playing this upcoming season. That being said, that also means that many leadership roles throughout the SEC are now vacant. The 2014 class will bring even more competition to the already on fire SEC, and two teams in particular (1 in West, 1 in East) catch my eye. Let's start off with South Carolina. The Gamecocks lose Jadeveon Clowney on defensive and Connor Shaw on offense, but they return the ever dangerous Mike Davis, who can score at any time from any part of the field. With the ol' ball coach at the helm, the Gamecocks are poised for a run to the SEC championship in my opinion. I think they end up making it to Atlanta in December. On the other side of the conference, the one team that stands out is ALA...no.... LSU! Last year, LSU sported probably the best running backs in the nation. Alabama has lost too many players to make it back to the championship game this year. LSU has brought in the top wide outs and running backs in the 2014 class. I think that the new freshmen contribute and that the Tigers end up playing for the SEC title. When i look at all the teams in the SEC, there is one that i cannot seem to feel out...Georgia. Decimated by injuries last year, the Bulldogs return Marvin Mitchell, Keith Marshall, and Todd Gurley from injuries. Mitchell and Marshall's injuries were season ending, while Gurley was hobbled by an ankle sprain throughout the year. So on one hand, they get all their playmakers back, but on the other, they lose their captain, Aaron Murray. They also have had trouble with the defense in the off season, losing key players in the secondary. Will Georgia and their untested QB be able to make a run this fall? Three things have to happen for Georgia to be a factor: stay healthy, good(not great) QB play, and a reliable secondary. I don't see the Bulldogs checking all three off their list, which is why i see them in 3 or 4th place in the East. But don't sleep on the Bulldogs, because they have the potential to make it to Atlanta. LSU vs. South Carolina in the SEC title game and LSU wins.

2014 NFL Draft 2nd & 3rd Rounds

Winners of the 2nd Day of the Draft from Friday Night

St. Louis - CB Lamarcus Joyner  & RB Tre Mason

St. Louis needed to go out and grab players who could take pressure off Sam Bradford. Since they got a LT to protect Bradford in the 1st round, they were freed up to look for some more impact players to put around Bradford. I love both of these picks, Joyner in the 2nd, Mason in the 3rd. Joyner is an absolute steal IMO. He has the tools to become a solid CB, and he is very needed in the NFC West, Let's be honest. Tre Mason will either be a great success, or a bust, no in between. I don't believe Mason was good enough to be drafted this year, but this is a smart pick to me. Go get a playmaker from the SEC, put him with his own LT, and see what could happen. The Rams nailed the second day of the Draft.

Philadelphia - WR Jordan Matthews & WR Josh Huff

Chip Kelly has the Eagles set up to become an Elite team next year. I was a little shocked when they didn't take a wide receiver in the 1st round, but i can see why they waited. They got two value receivers 50% off. Josh Huff, a dependable receiver out of Oregon, will come right back to the coach he started college with. Kelly will make him work in his system, especially with Nick FOles behind center. Jordan Matthews was good enough to get drafted in the late first round. He is a possession receiver that will catch the ball, even if he has to puke on the field after(actually happened b/c of concussion). This will be a guy that can get two feet down in the end zone as time expires. Great couple of draft picks. 

Houston - TE C.J. Fiedorowicz, DT Louis Nix III & OG  Xavier Su'a-Filo

I can't believe i'm going to write this, but Louis Nix III (Notre Dame) is the only reason Houston is a winner. Don't get me wrong, the other two picks are solid players that fit the need of the Texans. But Nix has the potential to be one of the greatest steals of this decade. He is a massive DT who is a force down in the trenches. Not only did the Texans get a good player, they got the perfect guy to complete the DL. You're telling me that a team will have to face Nix III in the middle, not to mention  J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney at the ends. All of them bull rushing at you. No thank you. I can't wait to see the Texans play next year. 

Baltimore - DT Timmy Jernigan, S Terrence Brooks & TE Crockett Gillmore

Baltimore has been a consistently tough defensive team for almost two decades now. No surprise that they would take a couple defensive guys. They decided to take two guys off Natty Champ Florida State, which i have no problem with. Terrence Brooks is a great player who will fit right in with the Ravens. Safety was a huge need coming in to the draft, they no longer have Ed Reed. Big ol' Timmy Jernigan is another big guy used to being a force down low. Baltimore DL has been decimated in recent years, which is why i like this pick. The one problem i have with Jernigan is his conditioning. Once the 4th quarter started in the BCS Championship last year, he barely played because he was so winded. If he can work hard at being able to play the full 60 minutes, then i think he can be a successful run stopper in the NFL. 

Oakland - QB Derek Carr & OG Gabe Jackson

Oakland finally made one pick that i agree with. Derek Car could have been taken in the first round, but i have no problem with him being taken in the second. I only watched one of is games last year, but i could tell he is something special. I know all the haters out there compare him to his brother, but he is not his brother, and he didn't get drafted by an expansion team that had yet to play a game. The Raiders just traded for Matt Schaub, someone Carr can sit behind for a year or two and learn from. No pressure, just learn. This is the perfect situation for Derek and the Raiders. Derek can ease into the league, while the Raiders can get a potential future QB with a low risk investment.