2010 Fresno State Football Predictions - Sports - Football

The Fresno State Bulldogs have built a solid football program behind the direction of head coach Pat Hill. The man with the mustache will enter his 14th season at the helm and features yet another strong team. Things will have to be done a little differently in 2010 with the departure of RB Ryan Mathews. There are 15 returning starters from last season's team that should give contend in the WAC conference. View the full conference breakdown in our 2010 WAC college football predictions article.

The Bulldogs used a balanced attack on offense in 2009 as they averaged 229 yards on the ground and another 202 through the air. Everything literally ran through Mathews at running back. His 1808 yards and 19 touchdowns were both school records. An amazing 11 games with at least 100 yards tied a WAC conference record held by the great LaDainian Tomlinson. QB Ryan Colburn had a very productive season also. He passed for 2459 yards and 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Passing opportunities might be a little tougher to come by with defenses not having to worry about Mathews. Sophomore Robbie Rouse gained valuable experience in the Louisiana Tech game when he got the first start of his career. The coaching staff is very high on this kid and he should at least double the 479 yards gained last year. Colburn's favorite target was Seyi Ajirotutu, who led the team with 49 catches and seven touchdowns. Jamel Hamler had a nice sophomore season with 37 catches and over 500 yards. This is an inexperienced bunch other than Hamler and could possibly start talented true freshman Josh Harper. The offensive line returns nearly the entire two deep and feature 4th team All American G Andrew Jackson. A dominating performance was put on by this group last season and I expect much of the same in 2010.

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Opposing offenses had a lot of fun playing the Fresno State defense last season. A whopping 414 yards/game was given up. They were -10 in turnover differential and recorded a measly 11 sacks as a team. Defensive coordinator Randy Stewart would rather forget his first year with the Bulldogs. Seven starters return however giving Stewart a chance to work with a majority of the players for a second year in a row. Two 1st team all WAC players are present on this side of the ball. Linebacker Ben Jacobs anchors the middle of the defense and recorded 106 tackles as a junior. What little pass rush there is from this defense comes from defensive end Chris Carter. His five sacks led the team as the next closest recorded just two. Lorne Bell was a 2nd team all conference performer and finished with 65 stops. The secondary intercepted only seven passes, which played a large role in why their turnover differential was so bad. I look for marked improvement from the defense this season.

A home opener against defending Big East champ Cincinnati will test the Bulldogs immediately. Fresno State is 10-1 in home openers. WAC play will open the following week with a road game at Utah State. The schedule is actually home heavy with 7 of their 12 games in Fresno, CA. Their conference fate will like be decided between November 13th and 20th. They host Nevada on the 13th and travel to Boise State on the 19th. I believe the Bulldogs will win 9 games.

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Satellite Television Knows How to Do College Football - Entertainment - Television

As school starts back up, you can be certain of one thing: College football is on its way in and the summer sports drought is on its way out. This is cause for great celebration for many Americans. Financially speaking, professional football is the biggest American sport. However, college football creates the wildest fans and attracts wide national attention for six months out of the year. College football is perhaps not as big of a business as the NFL, but that does not mean that it is any less important to the American psyche. In many ways, the rabid sports fans that follow college football far surpass those of the NFL. This means that there are millions of Americans that are hungry for a way to catch as many college football games as possible all season long. Satellite television offers them a chance to watch all the games they want. It also gives them an improved game time experience with the addition of more channels in high definition and DVR capability for all their games.

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Go with Virginia Tech Hokies If You Bet On NCAA Football - Sports

Virginia Tech is an appealing squad in 2010 for those that like to wager college football. The Virginia Tech Hokies begin the year with a high profile game against Boise State and if they can win that competition they could jump right into the national championship picture early in the year. Virginia Tech is 18-1 in NCAA wagering to win the national championship.

For those that bet college football, the numbers post Virginia Tech as an underdog in their year starter against Boise State. The Hokies are minor underdogs against the Broncos but the Virginia Tech Hokies have the skill to win that game. Virginia Tech returns quarterback Tyrod Taylor and running back Ryan Williams. The Virginia Tech Hokies furthermore have a strong defense that will be able to hold back most competitors.

Beginning with the starter against Boise State, Virginia Tech has some difficult competitions on their schedule. For the Hokies, that game is the most difficult out of conference matchup. They will furthermore take on difficult ACC competitions against North Carolina and Miami and both of those competitions are on the road and the negative part for the Virginia Tech Hokies is that they're in consecutive weeks. It is going to be very difficult to win two straight weeks on the road at North Carolina and Miami, even if the Virginia Tech Hokies start the year with an upset over Boise State and run the table into November. And at that point it's achievable that Virginia Tech will be unbeaten. If they beat Boise State they should have no trouble the next two weeks against James Madison and East Carolina. They proceed to Boston College for their conference starter nevertheless they can win that game. They can also win at NC State. The Virginia Tech Hokies get Georgia Tech at home , and home games against Central Michigan, Wake Forest and Duke will be wins. The competitions that seem to be road blocks to a perfect year are the competitions on November 13th at North Carolina and on November 20th at Miami. The Virginia Tech Hokies wrap up the regular season against Virginia.

Virginia Tech should have a potent offense this year and if the defense comes together they could be a very excellent squad. The secondary is packed with skill led by Rashad Carmichael, though they do have to replace 3 starters on the defensive line.

Frank Beamer, the current Virginia Tech Hokies head coach, has been with the squad since 1986. He was replacing Bill Dooley, who had been with the squad for 9 seasons that were regarded as the most successful in school history. At the time he was not a big name, so his hiring was criticized. Beamer has unquestionably proven worth the risk that the Virginia Tech Hokies took in hiring him since that time, nevertheless. He took over a squad that had only been to bowl competitions six times in the last century. The Virginia Tech Hokies have made 17 consecutive bowl appearances and Beamer has a record of 8-9 for those bowl games in his 22 years of coaching the team. He furthermore is even as the second-winningest active coach.

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NCAA College Football: History of the Miami Hurricanes - Sports - Soccer

The University of Miami Football team is recognized as one of the top programs in the nation. This is for good reason as well. The Hurricanes have a history of success. They have won 5 National Titles over the years and have shown that they can field a solid team year in and year out.

Over the history of the University they have managed to win 64 percent of their games. The record for the school over the years has been 552-307-19. They have an interesting history of fielding some of the most talented players in the nation at a very high rate. This may not show in the relatively low total of 5 National Championships, but it does show in the incredibly high total of 35 Consensus All-Americans.

The team is specifically recognized for its incredible athleticism. Florida is known for being one of the best areas to recruit in the Nation. This has contributed to the success of the Hurricanes, Gators and Seminoles over the years. The Hurricanes have an incredibly athletic team each year. This has not always contributed to high totals of wins, but it always has made them an exciting team to watch.

The Hurricanes are spirited rivals with the Florida State Seminoles. These two teams have had countless battles over the years that have come down to the wire. When we say that these battles have come down to the wire we mean that they have been decided on a final field goal attempt repeatedly. While these kickers may kick at a high percentage each year, it seems that these top kickers have never been able to punch in the field goal to win the game. This trend has taken place numerous times over the last two decades.

The first championship came in 1983. The team was led by Howard Schnellenberger. The team was led by Bernie Kosar all the way to the Orange Bowl where they would face off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The team managed to jump ahead to a 17-0 lead and managed to hold off the Cornhuskers in order to record their first ever National Championship.

The next championship would come under the command of Jimmy Johnson. Many people know Johnson for his success with the Cowboys, but it all began with Miami. The team had players such as Michael Irvin and Steve Walsh. The team went undefeated that season and managed to take out the Oklahoma Sooners in the Orange Bowl.

The team continued success under Dennis Ericksen. Ericksen managed to lead the team to 2 National Championships in 3 years. They won their first under his reign in a Sugar Bowl victory to cap off a season of 11-1. This Championship came in 1989. The next one was the 2nd undefeated season for the Hurricanes in a 5 year span as they won in the Orange Bowl to seal a 12-0 season.

The team continued to compete, but they were not able to take home another championship until Larry Coker came. Coker led the team to a Rose Bowl victory in 2001 to cap off yet another 12-0 season for the Hurricanes.

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Toledo Football Predictions 2010 - Sports - Football

Things seem to be heading in the right direction for the Toledo Rockets under the direction of 2nd year head coach Tim Beckman. The school made headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past years, but the focus has finally returned back to the football field. Beckman led the team to a 5-7 record in his first season after accepting the position following a brief stint as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. His Rockets are a dark horse candidate to win the West division. View the full conference breakdown in our 2010 MAC football predictions article.

The Toledo offense had success moving the ball with offensive coordinator Matt Campbell's scheme. They had some injury issues at quarterback last year, but showed that there is depth at this position and the future is sophomore QB Austin Dantin. Dantin replaced three year starter Aaron Opelt five games into the 2009 season (torn rotator cuff) and did an admirable job as a true freshman. He threw for 447 yards the final two weeks showing the coaching staff he is ready to take the reigns for good in 2010. RB Morgan Williams burst onto the scene in 2008 as a true freshman and set a freshman school record for rushing yards with 1,010. Last season, he missed the first two games due to suspension and DaJuane Collins was the featured back. Williams has showcased his talent in the past (330 yards in one game!) and will return as the full time starter this year. Beckman's most productive player in his first recruiting class had to be WR Eric Page. He led the team in receptions, td catches and yards while earning 1st team all-conference accolades. Page actually finished with better numbers than the school's career leading receiver Stephen Williams and will top his overall stats if his production stays consistent. The Rockets return three of their top four receivers from a year ago. The offensive line loses just one starter and features NFL prospect LT Mike VanDerMeulen. There are 100 career starts up front making this unit one of the most experienced in the MAC.

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Much of the off-season had to be spent figuring out a way to slow down opposing offenses. The defense was erratic in 2009, allowing 37.7 points/game and 407 yards of total offense/game. Six starters return on this side of the ball and there seems to be enough talent to turn the corner this year. The defensive line might be the weak link, however, as they lack depth and are undersized. Beckman added two junior college transfers to the group that could pay immediate dividends. Toledo lost their best linebacker in Barry Church. He had been a fixture in the middle of the defense for the past four seasons and earned all-conference honors each year. Archie Donald returns and led the team in tackles with 116. Without the services of Church, Donald will be asked to step up his game even more and be the leader of the 2010 defense. The secondary brings back three starters including two sophomores that saw significant action as freshmen. FS Jermaine Robinson made 58 stops last year, but could be more of a ball hawk as he did not intercept one pass from his safety position. Daxton Swanson broke up a team high seven passes in 09' and is one of the top young corners in the MAC. Replacing K Alex Steigerwald will be a priority on special teams as he hit 12-16 field goal attempts and missed just one extra point.

Toledo will get three cracks at tacking down a BCS power conference team in their non-conference schedule. Arizona makes the trip east in the opener to clash with the Rockets, while road games at Purdue and Boise State will test this team. MAC play opens earlier than most conferences and Toledo will have two conference games under their belt before the end of September. Key West division games at Northern Illinois and at Western Michigan could decide how the season plays out. I predict a 6-6 finish for the Rockets.

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Arkansas State Football Preview 2010 - Sports - Football

Head coach Steve Roberts enters his 9th season at Arkansas State feeling the pressure of producing a winning team in 2010. The Red Wolves finished a disappointing 4-8 last year and return 11 starters from that team. Expectations have lessened and Roberts usually turns out his best teams when they fly under the radar. View the full conference breakdown in our 2010 Sun Belt football predictions article.

The Red Wolves offense struggled with consistency last year even though they returned a four year starter at quarterback. Corey Leonard left as the school's all time leader in total offense, but was benched twice in 2009 and ended his career by tearing an ACL. The decision was made midway through the season to give redshirt freshman Ryan Aplin an opportunity to showcase his skills. Aplin finished the year with a 65% completion rate and threw for 889 yards. He finished second on the team in rushing, but watched spring practice after recovering from shoulder surgery. That injury could cost him the starting job this year as Phillip Butterfield was impressive in Aplin's absence. Arkansas State will make the change to a no huddle offense in 2010. Reggie Arnold led the team in rushing with 723 yards and 12 touchdowns but will not return. Derek Lawson played behind Arnold a year ago and should get an opportunity to be the full time back. He rushed for 244 yards and two scores in 09'. The receiving core might have the biggest question marks on offense. Only sophomore Taylor Stockemer saw considerable action last year and was a downfield threat averaging over 21 yards per reception. Allen Muse and Kedric Murry combined for 13 catches and should play a much larger in the passing game. The offensive line returns all five starters and will be one of the top units in the Sun Belt. Being in much better shape was an off-season priority for the line with the new fast paced offense.

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The defense was not the problem last year as they were above average against both the run and the pass. They still managed to give up over 23 points/game, which had much to do with being -5 in turnover differential. The defensive line played strong versus the run, allowing 122 yards/game. This year they must replace three key starters and their star up front in Alex Carrington. Carrington was a 1st team all-conference selection and 3rd round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills. DT Bryan Hall has been a two year starter and recorded a team high 6.5 tackles for loss. He will need to increase his performance even more this season if the Red Wolves want to dominate the line of scrimmage. LB Demario Davis led the team in tackles as a sophomore with 80 stops. Javon McKinnon will run alongside Davis at the outside linebacker position and brings experience to the defense. He finished fourth on the team in tackles with 53. The secondary returns both safeties, but will have to find two new starters at corner. FS MD Jennings is the key player and was a 1st team all-conference member as a junior. His 64 tackles ranked second on the Red Wolves. Their pass defense could slip if they have issues with the new players at corner.

Three of Arkansas State's four non conference games are against BCS power conference teams. They almost defeated Iowa last year before ultimately losing by a field goal. A road trip to Auburn, AL opens things up on Sept. 4th. Their schedule is different in that they will play three conference games before the 1st of October. A key home game that has to be circled is their Nov. 2nd match-up with preseason conference favorite Middle Tennessee State. I think this team shows some improvement, but not enough for bowl eligibility and finishes with 5 wins.

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College Sports Recruiting Opportunities Help Girls Through Bad Economy - Sports

When contemplating strategies for getting financial help with colleges in such a dire economy, getting recruited to play college sports should be at the top of any student-athlete's list. Given that premise, in the environment that men's college football recruiting has created, girls rule, and mens football recruiting may be the best thing that ever happened to womens college recruiting.

How does mens football recruiting fit into the equation? A disproportionately large number of mens scholarships go to football (up to 85 per school). To equalize sports opportunities across both genders, colleges support a broad range of womens sports via scholarships. In fact, female athletes who start planning very early in high school may even be able to pick up a sport they have never competed in before, and find great athletic scholarship opportunities through the college recruiting process. And for those who worry that athletics will take the focus off of academics, fear not, as female athletes have even higher college graduation rates than female college students who dont compet e (Division 1 -71% vs. 64%, and Division 2 -64% vs. 51%--compiled from NCAA sources).

By the time girls get to high school, most know if they're athletically inclined, and they have usually narrowed in on one or two sports of choice. But reality sometimes intervenes. A female student-athlete may have picked a sport that is highly competitive and she doesnt make the team. She may not like the coaching staff or they may not like her. She may have an injury that prevents her from pursuing her sport of choice. She may be interested in other things like student government or theatre, which conflict with the timing of the sport season. Or she may just get burned out or bored with her sport. What should a committed student-athlete do if she can't pursue her favorite sport?

There are all kinds of interesting sports opportunities available to girls who are willing to learn about them. Scholarships are offered for women in 24 sports in Division 1 and Division 2. If these sports are not offered at the high school level, there are probably club or recreational teams available somewhere nearby. It may be fairly easy to establish oneself as a player because many of these sports don't necessarily get the press that more high profile sports like women's basketball or volleyball get, so it may be more of a struggle for college programs to recruit players.

Here's what the landscape looks like. For girls, the sports that are offered at a large percentage of colleges and offer a fair number of scholarships per school are:

Basketball Volleyball Cross country/track and field Soccer Tennis Softball Golf Swimming/Diving

Here are some sports that arent available in as many schools, but have plenty of scholarships to give at the schools that have programs:

Field Hockey Gymnastics Lacrosse Rowing Equestrian Ice Hockey

And here's a fairly long list of sports that are offered in fewer schools and with less scholarships per school but they still have scholarships to give. Coaches in these programs may have a harder time filling these spots so they might offer great opportunities as well:

Bowling Fencing Skiing Synchronized swim Water Polo Archery Badminton Rugby Squash Team Handball

I am the mother of boys, not girls, but I know a good sale when I see one. Colleges are serving up a double whammy right nowvery difficult to get accepted, even more difficult to figure out how to pay for it. Participating in college athletics may make a student-athlete more attractive to an admissions committee, and may result in a scholarship that will cover a large part of the cost. If I was the mother of a female student-athlete and my daughter were even moderately inclined toward athletics, but hadn't settled on one sport yet, or was shut out from the sport she loved for some reason, I would encourage her to expand her athletic horizons a little.

So go ahead, girls -- pick up a hockey stick (field or ice, any kind will do), a bow and arrow, a fencing foil, a bowling ball, or another sporting implement you haven't experienced before. Do a little research to see what schools offer scholarship programs for women in these sports. If these schools match your general criteria for a good college fit, you should pursue them. A few years of training and the world is wide open to you, if youre a dedicated female athlete.

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