SportsNation Blog Archives
Washington Huskies
3. Could Washington win without Jake Locker?
Much respect for Jake Locker. While he's trying to convince Washington to let him play with a broken rib, we tried to get off work this morning because of "the sniffles." Locker's pretty important to the Huskies' success (although we like to think we're pretty big shots around here, it just doesn't compare), so his absence would have an impact on their chances to beat UCLA. Could they pull it off without Locker?
- "His last home game?? There is not a chance that he sits out. " -- SN commenter Barney991
Game 1: SportsNation's burning questions for No. 9 Iowa at No. 24 Arizona
- Will the late start time or the weather in the desert affect Iowa more?
- Is Arizona's Nick Foles a better quarterback than Iowa's Ricky Stanzi?
- Vote on those and other questions about Iowa at Arizona!
Steve (Sioux City, IA)
Adam, I know everyone thinks it's going to be tough for Iowa to head out West but I have a hard time thinking that a team with this many seniors and this much leadership would be rattled by playing at Arizona. Thoughts?
Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg
Steve, I think Iowa's experience certainly should help in handling the elements, but history certainly doesn't favor the Hawkeyes in these matchups. Iowa isn't the type of team to lose its poise, and the Hawkeyes have won in some pretty tough places (State College, Madison, East Lansing, etc.) Still, you have to anticipate some adversity against Arizona. How will the 2010 Hawkeyes respond? We'll find out soon. Full transcript
Game 2: SportsNation's burning questions for No. 10 Florida at Tennessee
- Would Tennessee have been better off keeping Phillip Fulmer?
- Was Tim Tebow a better college quarterback than Peyton Manning?
- Vote on those and other questions about Florida at Tennessee!
Stefan (The Swamp)
Are you buying or selling the Gators as a top ten team? Mind you the Gators still have a dynamic defense and they will open up the pass offense over the next two weeks...
Mark Schlabach
I'm selling right now, but I think they'll be a top 10 team by season's end. Have to get better on offense. Very good on defense, especially in the secondary. Don't see a lot of weapons on offense other than Demps, though. Full transcript
Game 3: SportsNation's burning questions for No. 8 Nebraska at Washington
- Is Nebraska winning the national title more likely than Jake Locker winning the Heisman?
- Was Washington's 1991 team better than Nebraska's 1997 team?
- Vote on those and other questions about Nebraska at Washington!
Ryan (Lincoln)
What's your favorite nickname for Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez? T-Mart, T-Magic, T-Mobile, or another one? This is really important to Husker Nation.
Ivan Maisel
It would be like me voting for the mayor of Lincoln. I am not registered there. I have no say in the matter. Given the way he runs, how about "Taylor Swift?" Yeah, maybe not. Full transcript
Game 4: SportsNation's burning questions for No. 6 Texas at Texas Tech
- Is Tommy Tuberville as good a coach as Mike Leach?
- Will Taylor Potts post bigger numbers than Garrett Gilbert?
- Vote on those and other questions about Texas at Texas Tech!
Nick (Denver)
Dave- what are the chances that Texas Tech beats Texas?
Big 12 blogger David Ubben
Good, but if it's close, I'm taking Texas. Tech has to jump on them early, 14-0 or something, and force Gilbert to throw the ball more than the Longhorns gameplanned for. The Red Raiders secondary is young, but they've got a lot of talent and a great pass rush up front. If Texas can keep the offense on cruise control, their secondary will make big plays down the stretch against Potts to leave Lubbock with the win. Full transcript
Game 5: SportsNation's burning questions for No. 12 Arkansas at Georgia
- Will Arkansas miss Dennis Johnson more than Georgia misses A.J. Green?
- Is Mark Richt a better coach than Bobby Petrino?
- Vote on those and other questions about Arkansas at Georgia!
Brian (Arkansas)
How do you think Arkansas will do this weekend against a Georgia team that's desperate?
Mel Kiper
Georgia is between the hedges. They'll be in a very firey mood, after that game against Vanderbilt. The key play in the game was the fumble with SC down 14-6. That fumble prevented Georgia from getting back into that football game. Arkansas had two cupcakes right out of the box. Now they get their first test. Georgia is much more battle tested. Not having Green on Georgia is a huge problem. Aaron Murray for Georgia was only 4-8 for 32 yards in the first half. In the third quarter alone, he was 7-8 for 101 yards, just before the fumble. Murray needs AJ Green. That's an unfortunate situation with Green at Georgia. Full transcript
- Rank 'Em: Who are the nation's best quarterbacks for the 2010 season?
- Chat wrap: See how Locker tackled SportsNation's questions in chat Monday.
When it comes to football and blatantly bad calls, Washington quarterback Jake Locker can probably sympathize with Frank Lampard, Mexico and the rest of a series of World Cup officiating victims. A master practitioner of the other kind of football, Locker was famously penalized for daring to throw the ball in the air after he scored to bring the Huskies within a point of BYU with seconds left in regulation (the Huskies then missed the long extra point).
But might Locker suffer a greater injustice if he's denied a chance at the Heisman because the team around him isn't good enough? SportsNation commenters aren't sold on the Heisman chances of the guy Mel Kiper rates as the nation's No. 1 NFL prospect.
- "Locker has the talent to win it, the question is, will the other 21 starters (plus ST) rise to get him there. The UW will need to win at least 9 games in addition to him having the stats if he is going to qualify for the trip to NY." -- SN commenter norcal dawg
- "Locker s a good player no doubt, but there's no way that Washington is in the BCS conversation this year. I expect him to get an invite to New York, but no way he gets the trophy." -- SN commenter WildcatsFight83
Erik (Seattle, WA)
Jake, what do you foresee at the greatest hurdle facing the Huskies in the upcoming season?
Washington QB Jake Locker
That's a good question. I would say becoming comfortable with being at the top of the league. Learning how to play from that position. Full transcript
Jon (Brooklyn, NY)
Mel - who are your early frontrunners to go #1 overall next year?
Mel Kiper
Jake Locker, Robert Quinn - from UNC who's a freak, Andrew Luck. Those are the top three. Full transcript
Sam Bradford's loss apparently didn't dissuade Jake Locker. And now Locker's decision may be Bradford's gain.
Despite watching Bradford suffer through an injury-plagued season after passing on the NFL draft last spring, Locker will remain the University of Washington's starting quarterback next season. That's instead of potentially trading that title for a similar role with the Rams, Browns or any number of other woeful NFL teams. Back in September, SportsNation didn't think much of Locker's draft stock, rating him behind not only Bradford and McCoy but also Jevan Snead. But by last week, voters put Locker right with Bradford, McCoy and Jimmy Clausen.
So did the draft just lose its best quarterback prospect, or was Locker just a nice bonus to a class that still includes McCoy, Bradford, Clausen and Tim Tebow?
Ray A. (San Francisco, CA)
Didn't Jake Locker (UW QB) see what happened to Sam Bradford last year? Why is he not entering the draft?
Len Pasquarelli
Jake had a lot of people advising him, including former NFL QB (and close friend) Hugh Millen, a former Washington player. I think they convinced Jake that another year under Sarkisian would benefit him. As for injuries, we're betting, sir, that Bradford is still a No. 1. Probably not as high as he should have been, but a No. 1 nonetheless. Full transcript
Ryan (Medford OR)
Do you think Jake Locker made the right decision to stay in school?
Mel Kiper
Yeah, I do. I've been saying this for the last couple of months. He needs to make the Cal game a regularity. More consistent week to week. The fact that he was out all the year before, this will give him a chance to put two years back to back. Next year, he'll have a shot to go into the draft process with some momentum. He could be the No. 1 pick overall, and also be prepared for the expectations and scrutiny for the NFL. Full transcript
- Vote: GameDay Pick 'Em | Heisman Watch | SportsNation Top 25
- Vote on big topics: Charlie Weis' future | Auburn at Georgia
- Blogger chat wraps: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Others
- More wraps: Mark Schlabach | Pat Forde | Mel Kiper | Ivan Maisel | Bruce Feldman
- Special guests: Brad Edwards | Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson
It won't be an easy weekend for BCS Cinderellas, even though they're all playing at home. Cincinnati faces No. 25 West Virginia, TCU gets the pressure of GameDay and No. 16 Utah, and Boise State deals with a surprising 7-3 Idaho (and a visiting AD who doesn't like to fly on planes with Broncos markings).
- Vote: Which college quarterbacks will become NFL stars?
- Chats: NFL sage Chris Mortensen wrap | Draft guru Mel Kiper, 1 p.m. ET
This much we know for sure. Oklahoma's season, or at least its national championship aspirations, will be on the line when the Sooners visit Miami to face the suddenly suspect Hurricanes. What we don't know is whether Bradford or Landry Jones will be under center for the Sooners. And that means we know nothing. Eric Mangini must be so jealous.
- If Bradford starts, 68 percent of SportsNation likes Oklahoma over Miami.
- If Landry Jones starts for the Sooners, 59 percent of SportsNation picks Miami.
“Unlike Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow or Colt McCoy would not have been a #1 pick, and everyone knows the Lions would not have taken Matthew Stafford over Bradford. No matter where Bradford's professional career goes, he will never make up the difference in guaranteed money he could of had from entering his name in the draft. Though now Sam's pro-career is in jeopardy, it's not 'ridiculous' to question the advice from the coach, it's only fair.
” -- alexpaulparisi
“Whether or not to come out is always a dicey call anyway you slice it. Staying in CF is a risk (injury), which is why many players take out insurance. Going to the NFL early is risky too, because no athlete wants to go out and be a bust (eg, Ryan Leaf). Coaches do not want to see either (injury or bust).
” -- pac10man10
- Your rankings: Will Notre Dame beat Michigan? Vote on the game's big questions.
Fighting Irish eyes were smiling after a shutout win for Notre Dame against Nevada to open the season, but at least one fan used SportsNation's virtual billboard to post some concerns about the future -- and not just this weekend's game at Michigan. Sure, Notre Dame looked good, but so did Navy and Washington, two teams many assumed Charlie Weis' team would roll over later this season.
And while we're talking about the Huskies, another SportsNation blogger isn't sure if a close game in Seattle said more about a revival on the shores of Lake Washington or problems at quarterback for the Tigers.
- "The Huskies are just missing a couple of players at some skill positions and once Sarkisian can fill those gaps things could get interesting. In any event my point is that if you had Washington already written in as a "W" for the Irish, hopes are that you wrote it in pencil. I have a feeling that by week 5, Washington might show that they are not a sure win for the Irish or anyone else." -- Read the full post.
- "Washington total yards - 478. LSU total yards - 321. I know total yards never won a game for anyone before, but come on man! If Toliver is not on that team, Washington beats you. It's that simple. I know some will look at [Jordan] Jefferson's stat line and see the three touchdowns and no picks and think he had a decent game, but it was [Terrance] Toliver that made those plays." Read the full post.
ESPN.com's college football writers and bloggers will be going conference by conference in the coming weeks to preview the season ahead, and we're looking for your rankings along the way. Things roll on with the Pac-10, where blogger Ted Miller's rankings include a very familiar name at the head of the class, but also reason to believe it will be a good year for football fans in Oregon.
1. USC
2. California
3. Oregon
4. Oregon State
5. Arizona
Check out Miller's complete Pac-10 rankings.
Seattle could use some good news. After a good start, the Mariners are fading and Ken Griffey Jr. looks like a very-near-future Hall of Famer. The Sonics are long gone, of course, and the Seahawks are coming off a disappointing season. Even Starbucks has been reduced to sponsoring the target of Jon Stewart's ridicule, "Morning Joe" on MSNBC.
So forgive the good people of the Emerald City if they get excited about Nick Montana. Joe Montana's son Nick announced Wednesday that he'll play quarterback at the University of Washington once his high school career wraps up.
At this point, the Huskies should be happy if he's the second coming of Chris Simms.
“Everyone wants to get on us for the winless season, but really...there's nowhere to go but up! Montana is a great signing for UW and I expect nothing but improvment from the total team over the next couple years. The Huskies will be back, trust me. We're going to sneak up on a few teams on our way back to the top of the Pac-10!
” -- joshkellerseattle
“A Pac-10 school in Washington should land one of the top H.S. QB's from Washington ... which by the way happens to generally be the hot bed state for passing QB's in the country generally. So what does Sark do ... goes to So. Cal instead ... cuz thats the only place he has ties to recruit in rather than strengthen his ability to instate recruit.
” -- Bric875
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