http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/33744 Recent articles about Mark Sanchez en-us Raise your hand if you played pro fantasy football back in the 1990's. Keep it raised if you were one of the suckers who selected the Cowboys' Troy Aikman as your starting QB in one of those years. Aha! I thought so. I began playing pro fantasy football in 1991 - the beginning of Dallas's Super Bowl run. Back then, there was no internet. Owners relied on TV, magazines and newspapers (remember them?) for football information. Dallas was winning Super Bowls, so Troy Aikman must be a great fantasy QB option, right? Wrong. He was a Hall of Fame QB in the NFL, but nothing more than a reserve on the world of fantasy football. But nonetheless, in each and every draft, Aikman was overvalued because of all those highlight touchdown passes to Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek and Alvin Harper. It was during that timeframe that my "Troy Aikman Theory" of drafting was born. The Troy Aikman Theory is simple: number of magazine cover appearances doesn't equal fantasy stardom. Sound too obvious? Well, you'd be surprised how many owners fall into this trap. The real sharks know fantasy football is all about numbers. Did you know that Troy Aikman only threw more than 19 TD's once in his career (23 in 1992)? The unheralded Saints/Falcons QB Bobby Hebert put up similar numbers during those years. Yet Aikman would get drafted by the suckers in the early rounds, while Hebert could be had the final rounds (if he was drafted at all). A prime college football example from recent years was Michigan's Chad Henne. Henne was a good college QB from a high-profile program. He played in a bunch of big games on the national stage, and had several memorable performances. Chad's likeness donned the preseason mags for a couple years, and every Tom, Dick and Harry knew who he was. When your draft rolled around, some I-get-my-information-from-ESPN owner inevitably called out Henne's name in an early round while the savvy fantasy sharks sat back in their Laz-E-Boy and snickered. Why? Because Henne's projected stats simply didn't justify his early round selection. Click on the link below to see the list of players we deem to be overrated from a fantasy standpoint in 2008... Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:42:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/308667 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/308667 ESPN writer Ivan Maisel has given plenty of ammunition for message boards, forums and blogs to vent about in his new book, titled "The Maisel Report: College Football's Most Overrated and Underrated Players, Coaches, Teams, and Traditions." Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:09:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/307977 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/307977 It's hard to believe this headline, but it's true. University of Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido was kicked out of a closed USC football scrimmage on Tuesday. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:17:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/306938 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/306938 For all of those college football fans that have become annoyed with the endless chatter of how great the Southeastern Conference is, you might want to visit another link now. Look, the SEC is a great football conference and the proof is in the pudding. Four BCS championships, two of which have been consecutive victories over Ohio State. The four BCS titles are double the number of championships won by the other power conferences. Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:34:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304274 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304274 Reports out of the USC campus is that Mark Sanchez will make it back for the season opener against Virginia later this month. But lets take a second and imagine that Sanchez is out for a few weeks. Where does that leave USC? Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:19:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304095 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/304095 USC starting quarterback Mark Sanchez was carted off the field at Friday's practice in Los Angeles with an apparent knee injury. Sanchez, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior, won the starting job this spring over 2006 Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain. more... Fri, 08 Aug 2008 21:17:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303323 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303323 Severity still unknown. Hopefully not serious. Maybe the new ESPN the magazine cover curse? USC has a great backup in Mitch Mustain, but still this would be a big blow for the Trojans. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:41:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303272 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/303272 What's that you say? Your favorite college football team doesn't appear in the recent top 25 rankings? Don't worry, because SI.com released their list of preseason rankings, 1-119. Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:11:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302659 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302659 We all want football season to start as soon as possible. So now that it's August, we here at Pyle of List are tired of waiting. We have so much beautiful football inside us, it needs to be let out much like the musical creativity that resided inside Dirk Diggler. So we've devoted the entire month of August to football. BOOYAH! Without further ado, here are our picks for the 2009 BCS Champion. We've also thown in a dark horse and a pretender that most definitely WILL NOT take home the trophy with the crystal football. Lunchbox Why You Should Listen to Me: College football season is the greatest time of the year. I can spend all week reading up on the games for the weekend. Then on Saturday there's games from the time I wake up, all day, until I'm ready to pass out in the evening. Then I can spend Sunday recuperating in time to do it all over again the next week. I love it. Around June is when I really start to get anxious about the coming season. Why You Shouldn't Listen to Me: I'm a regionist. I think the Big East and the Big 10 are a bunch of chumps with a bunch of annual disappointments and a few surprises mixed in. I think the SEC relies on its reputation too much sometimes. The Big 12 reminds me of a puppy that can't help but step in its own poop. I try to ignore the fact that the Pac-10 has about six or seven teams every year that don't even live up to low expectations. Oh yeah, I also endorsed Kirk Ferentz and his group of losers from the Big 10 as a sleeper last year. Oops. 2009 BCS Champion: It pains me to say this. It really does…ugh. The Florida Gators. Tebow is on a mission from God to do two things: talk about God and win football games. He does both of them exceedingly well. This year Urban Meyer will have a good running back for the first time since his move to Gainesville, Emmanuel Moody. Moody, a former Trojan, wanted to go someplace where he didn't have to compete with anyone for the starting job. Mission accomplished. These guys have speed and good defense. Other than the road trip to Athens, they have a desirable schedule as far as the SEC goes. They get LSU at home and avoid playing Auburn. In what I think will be a down year for the middle pack of the SEC, Florida should have a better than even chance to win out. 2009 BCS Dark Horse: The other Bulldogs should be tough again this year after a down year last season. I'm not saying they will challenge for the title, but I think they'll have a great chance at making a BCS game coming out of the WAC. If they play up to their ability, they should be rewarded the way their WAC brethren, Boise State and Hawaii, have been in recent years. Fresno State's Pat Hill doesn't mess around when it comes to making a college football schedule. His non-conference games this year are against Rutgers (too bad Ray Rice is gone), Wisconsin, and UCLA. The world wide leader has taken notice of them this year too. Fresno State will be televised on six national broadcasts this year. Go Bulldogs! 2009 BCS Pretender: Will I be excommunicated from all my friends for this? I don't think USC will be as strong as everyone is thinking they will be. My concern lies with the offense. The defense should be one of the best ever in the land of Troy. But I think their offense will be the Achilles heel in their bid for another national championship game appearance. Mark Sanchez is going to be a good QB, but he's no Matt Leinart. The team is stacked at running back, but the offensive line is completely different than a year ago when it had Sam Baker and three other starters that will not be back this year. It makes it tough to run when there aren't any holes to run through. The wide receivers have been disappointing Trojan fans ever since Dwayne Jarrett left. Trust me. I've seen holes punched in doors and walls of my friends' apartments to prove it. There's rumors floating about that I made some of them myself. Anyway, the receiving corp doesn't have super-stud, Big Fred Davis, at tight end this year to bail them out. Just to summarize: good defense, no where to run, no one to throw to. Philguard Why You Should Listen to Me:I am the college football fan that every other true fan hates. I have the knowledge of the game without the blinding passion for any particular team. I like any and all things Texas and hate any and all things Oklahoma, but I can actually survey the college football scene and give real unbiased analysis. Why You Shouldn't Listen to Me:It's not that I don't like college football but the pro game has always been where its at. So I really only pay attention to players that I see moving on to the next level. Imagine my surprise when Tebow won the Heisman. 2009 BCS Champion:I gotta go with the Oklahoma Sooners….man that hurts. Let's face it, Sam Bradford might be one of the most composed QB's I've seen in a while and the Big 12 has the worst group of pretenders currently ranked in the top 25 (see below) 2009 BCS Dark Horse:Wisconsin - While the Big 10 has been focused on the Big Game at the end of the season I just feel like the Badgers are due. And if Ohio State drags their butt into another National Championship Game only to bore me for 4 hours on a Monday night in January I'm flying to Columbus and choking someone with a sweater vest. 2009 BCS Pretender: Take your pick of teams from the Big 12 ranked in the top 25 right now. Missouri (not sneaking up on anyone this year), Texas (as Colt McCoy goes…see the Chris Simms) JP Why You Should Listen to Me: I'm a big college football fan and regularly spend Saturday consuming every game I can get my hands on. From the SEC to the Pac-10, I love watching it all. Why You Shouldn't Listen to Me: I picked Iowa as a sleeper last year. 2009 BCS Champion: Georgia. Perhaps they're the obvious pick, but they'll have to overcome a heck of a lot to get there. The SEC is as strong as its ever been this year which means they can't have any let-downs against inferior opponents. With the strength of the SEC, I'd wager that a tough loss (or possibly even 2) will still put them in the title game. With the momentum they generated to end the season in 2007, I have a great feeling about them this year. 2009 BCS Dark Horse: Clemson. If they beat Alabama in Week 1 at home, they should go undefeated the rest of the way. Then they should have enough momentum to win the ACC Title and catapult into a BCS Championship Game bid. Their two great RB's (Spiller and Davis) should be able to carry the offense, meaning Harper only has to manage games at QB. And the defense should be OK despite losing a host of LBs and they'll likely have a great chance to stay off the field with the Tigers' potent running game. 2009 BCS Pretender: Oklahoma. They lost too much to the draft on defense to be elite. Plus, West Virginia blew last year's team out and I don't regard them very highly. Bob Stoops is 1-4 in his last 5 Bowl Games and I feel a sophomore slump for Sam Bradford coming on. It will likely be brought by the new D-coordinator at Texas, Will Muschamp, who has a whole year of film on Bradford and an aggressive approach to defense. DLamp Why You Should Listen to Me: You know that secretary in your office who always wins the March Madness pool by picking teams based on color/mascot/coin flip? That's me. I have zero knowledge and therefore can't over think things. Why You Shouldn't Listen to Me: I know absolutely nothing about college football. 2009 BCS Champion: USC. This is a pretty safe pick for me. I know they are good because I have to hear about it constantly. That's what happens when your city doesn't have a pro team. 2009 BCS Dark Horse: The U. Always bet on black! Or is it never bet on black? Either way, I pick Miami. 2009 BCS Pretender: West Virginia. Are they even considered a contender by experts? That is how little I know. I pick them because I believe they lost their head coach (could be wrong) and I think that will mess with their spread offense (could be wrong about general offensive strategy as well). Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:34:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302491 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302491 Three Trojans make cover of SI: Brian Cushing, Mark Sanchez, and Rey Maualuga. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:47:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302165 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302165 Bears rookie RB Matt Forte is listed as the starter on their newly released depth chart. USC QB Mark Sanchez is embracing his Mexican roots. Miami QB Robert Marve hopes to lead the Hurricanes back glory. Talented but troubled Wisconsin RB Lance Smith has been dismissed from the Badger squad. The Texas Longhorns will try a two QB system with Colt McCoy and John Chiles. For specific links, check out the NFL DraftNation page. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:10:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301107 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/301107 I came across an interesting recruiting story today when I was reading ESPN The Magazine's article on current USC quarterback Mark Sanchez and I figured I would share. Sanchez was a highly touted and recruited QB out of Mission Viejo High in California and was recruited by the likes of USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Ohio State. In the end he chose to stay home in Southern California and enrolled in USC but he talked briefly about being recruited by Ohio State and more specifically Jim Tressel in this excerpt: Sanchez remembers Jim Tressel sitting behind his desk in the Buckeyes' football office, delivering his pitch: "Mark, you know the two most important people in the state of Ohio are the governor and the quarterback for Ohio State." Tressel then paused before adding, "And the quarterback for Ohio State is No. 1." Now thats good stuff. What a sell. If I was a 17 year old kid and heard that, I would've committed on the spot but Sanchez wasn't from Ohio and had his mind dead set on following the recent quarterback tradition at SC. Tressel has become an amazing recruiter as of late and finally someone shed some light into some of his tactics. I love it and most of the time the coaches who recruit these kids are feeding these players a bunch of BS and what they want to hear and most of the time it isn't true, but I would have to say being QB at OSU is defiantly number one in my book. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:15:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298762 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/298762 FIO's "Best of the Best" is back in 2008 for its second season - check out staff writer Dan Mesday's top ranked collegiate football players, as he goes position by position breaking down what to look forward to in college football for 2008. This time around - the quarterbacks. Wed, 28 May 2008 08:14:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271660 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271660 USC had 10 players selected in this past weekend's NFL Draft, yet the talent rich Trojans have failed to win a national title since 2004. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:57:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261126 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261126 The USC quarterback has become college football's "it" position for this decade and rightfully so. Since 2001 the signal callers for the Trojans have included Heisman trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart as well as Rose Bowl MVP John David Booty. Starting next season the torch will be passed to fourth-year junior Mark Sanchez. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:04:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/239072 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/239072