#2: Auburn-16, Cuse-16

Our stupid poll is winding down. And the second to last game that we most want a "do-over" on is the 1988 Sugar Bowl; it finds itself at the #2 spot on the Top 10 Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era Countdown. We've relived this one before, but let's go to your team of idiots:

AJV, "Oh what could have been."

Poncho, "Where’s my gun?"

Champ, "Where to begin on this one? Let's hope the mulligan would provide the following: someone cancelling the soft Cuse prevent D, Pat Dye growing a pair, and more Keith Jackson broadcasting meaningful Syracuse games. And for the record, Auburn tied Syracuse, not the other way around."

Russianator, "Without question, the 1988 Sugar Bowl needs to be the top do over game in this poll. A Syracuse win would have completed an improbable perfect season and even though the Orange most likely would have been shut out of a national championship (college football - screwing up the post-season since forever) it was ruined by Pat Dye's act of pure cowardice. All I know is Herm Edwards could have never played for Dye at Auburn, because Herm plays to win the game."

Bad Interviews and Even Worse B-Roll

Trainwrecks. We live for them around here. Not actual trainwrecks mind you -- we're talking about awkward interviews, verbal gaffes and people flat out screwing up. They can certainly brighten up a rainy Thursday afternoon. Being the giving guy that I am, it's time to share. For me, it started like this -- I'm reading Pro Football Talk's blog posting on Michael Vick, which references an extremely awkward interview Jim Mora Jr. gave to Doug Gottlieb. The interview itself is cringe-inducing, as the twice fired Mora Jr. clearly does not care for Dougie's line of questioning. Check it out.

However, it gets better. That post leads to Pro Football Talk referencing an amazing clip from years ago that I'd never seen before. It's an insanely hilarious screw up that occured when a TV station was doing a story on former Buffalo Bill Kevin Everett's recovery from a spinal injury. If you haven't seen this, it will be the best 14 seconds of your day, I can guarantee that.

Ebay Items of the Week: Bye Bye Balboni

With the Yanks clinching a playoff spot last night, T3I is getting sentimental and looking back at some true Yankee legengs with this week's Ebay Item of the Week. We turn to former Yank/Royal/Yank Steve "Bye Bye" Balboni and offer up these gems from the world of sports memorabilla.

Steve Balboni Bobblehead (thumbs down, no mustache)

Color 8x10 Photo (thumbs up for one fine 'stache)

Pin this to your lapel (your work colleagues will know you are all business)

T3I Classic takes you back to a young Yankee prospect, sans 'stache:

#3: Penn State- 24, Cuse-20

1985, Ronald Reagan is sworn into his second term in office, Gorbachev assumes power in the Soviet Union, Wrestelmania debuts in Madison Square Garden, and the flex capacitator gaines noteriety thanks to Back to the Future. 1985 also marks the year our beloved Orangmen came this close (and by this close we mean a Roland Grimes fumble) from knocking off the hated Penn State Nittany Lions. This kick in the stomach finds itself at the #3 spot on the Top 10 Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era Countdown.

Russianator, "Back in the day, SU and PSU were rivals - only PSU kicked our asses every year. For the first time in forever, the Orange had the Nittany Lions beat and then Roland Grimes coughed up the ball. Ouch. On the plus side it made the 1987 win that much sweeter."

Boss, "SU had a chance to end the Nittany Lions winning streak over the Orange, but fumbled it away late...got our revenge 2 years later though."

Poncho, "This was Penn State at the Dome and a fumble away from beating a heralded big time program. Our team had a case of the “whoopsies” fumbling our way to a loss."

Champ, "Another tough one I remember the voice of the Orange Doug Logan calling for me on 570-WSYR. "

1985...the year Michael Jackson led us in standing up to say "We Are the World."

Huskies Get in a Cat Fight, All is Well

Those silly UConn Huskies are a busy bunch. When they aren't busy getting trounced by Temple, they are busy fighting each other. Apparently linebacker Jerome Williams and kicker Dave Teggart got into a scuffle that coach Randy Edsall termed "a cat fight."

Two quick thoughts on this one --

1) If two football players get into it and the coach calls it "a cat fight," that does not speak well for the toughness of the football team.

2) For his sake I hope to God the linebacker won. Not sure how you show your face in the locker room again if you got your ass beat by a kicker.

Under-hyped Game to Be Veiled in Cloak of Secrecy

Have you heard Donovan McNabb and his Washington Redskins will be taking on the Philadelphia Eagles and Michael Vick this weekend? I'm sure you haven't. It's been downplayed in the media. I'm told Kevin Kolb will be there too. If you're unfamiliar with Kevin's work, check out his LinkedIn profile. That should get you up to speed.

In what is obviously an orchestrated media conspiracy to keep Derek Anderson off your TV, the entire country will be forced to watch this under publicized spectacle featuring current, former and benched Eagles quarterbacks. Well, that's not quite true. As you can see from the map below, a few lonely souls in Arizona and Southern California will be denied the game and will instead watch Derek not get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. For those viewers there is a bright side, you are guaranteed plenty of camera shots of Phillip Rivers yelling at people while Norv Turner stands on the sideline making a face that clearly tells us he just sharted.

Map courtesy of the 506, the single best web site for NFL game coverage. Click here for all the week four info, and make sure you check it out every week if you care about this stuff.

The Reds are Going to the Playoffs

This post is a shout out to my Uncle Dave - a diehard and long suffering Cincinnati Reds fan, and more importantly, a reader of this site. For the first time in 15 years the Reds are going to the playoffs. To put that in perspective, the last time the Reds were in the post-season, we didn't know Bill Clinton liked fat interns, the Buffalo Bills were a viable franchise, and Al Davis was only 25 percent crazy.

For any Reds fans out there, here are 6 minutes of video highlights -- almost all of which involve fireworks going off in the background. So congratulations to the Reds and their fans. May you enjoy playoff success - unless you make it to the World Series, then I hope the Yankees mow you down like Marge Schott mowed down a plate of cheese fries.

Dear Boston,

See you next year.

Sincerely,

Yankee Fans

Greg Robinson Weekly

Michigan's Defense Has Issues... ~Ann Arbor.com

"And who did Rodriguez hire to run his defense. Greg Robinson, a guy who compiled such a bad record as head coach at Syracuse that he got fired after four years there. Now the defense is in its second year under Robinson and should have learned something, but apparently is worse than ever. " ~OpEd News Editor's Note: This is a FANTASTIC read

"Wolverines Defense and Special Teams Could Ruin Season" ~suite101.com

Bad Jokes: Conference Expansion Edition

If the most recent bad joke about inviting Villanova to the Big East football table wasn't upsetting enough, boy do we have a beauty for you this week.

Did you hear the one about the conference commissioner who wants TCU to join his league?

"It's not fun, it's not funny." ~ Billy Crystal

#4: Tennessee (courtesy SEC refs)- 34, Cuse-33

Photo: Frank Ordonez, P-S

These are really starting to sting. Our #4 Syracuse Football Mulligan of the HumpIdiot Era is the 1998 loss to eventual national champion Tennessee.

Boss, "Another classic...except for the officiating. I can't believe it was a dozen years ago...and I can't wait for Marrone to bring SU football back to this era, when the Dome was the site of some of the nation's biggest and best games."

AJV, "Another bad loss that set the tone for later in the season...seems to be an ongoing theme."

Champ, "Boss and I were in attendance for this heartbreaker. Incredible pre-game scene which featured an unreal Vol traveling fanbase."

Editor's Note: The Russianator refused to put this game on his ballot; we'll let him him offer up his disclaimer.

"Before we start I want to note a game I did not put on my list - the 1998 Tennessee game. Why is it not on the list? BECAUSE WE WON THE GAME! That pass interference call was total bullshit. That game was stolen, pure and simple, no need to replay a game the refs stole - and no, I'm not bitter or anything.

Tennessee....

It's Been a While

Regardless of which teams they have played, it's been a while since any one's glanced at the Big East standings and saw the Syracuse Orange at the top. We'll take it.

Syracuse - Colgate Observations

We saw a lot of Colgate running in the middle of the field on Saturday

I was going to title this post the Syracuse Orange v. Colgate Red Raiders -- the day entertaining football died, but that was too long. The Orange did handle their business against their pesky neighbors, winning this one 42-7 in a game that closer than the final score indicated, yet was out of reach for Colgate almost from the get go. Let's get to the observations:

- I loved Syracuse's opening offensive possession of the when they came out no-huddle. Colgate was caught completely off guard. The possession netted no points as blocking break downs - especially from the tackle possession - led to a failed 4th and goal attempt.

- I also loved the fact that Marrone went for it on 4th down. It was the right move against an inferior opponent. Something tells me if SU is in the same position against South Florida, Marrone will kick a field goal and take the points.

- Not a great game for Ryan Nassib. He was inaccurate early and missed some open receivers and then in the second quarter, he didn't feel the pressure from his blind side, took a big hit and coughed up the ball. Luckily, the team didn't need Nassib to be great, because.....

- The running game arrived. Delone Carter obviously had a big night and it was great to see. There were some big running lanes for him to waltz through, so kudos to the O-line for clearing the way.

- I was also happy to see Antwon Bailey much more involved in the offensive game plan. Bailey started the game as SU went no huddle. His burst of speed still astounds me and the catch and run for a TD in the second quarter was a thing of beauty. Nice work by Nassib to him in stride. I'm telling you, he reminds me more and more of Brian Westbrook every day.

- Prince-Tyson Gulley excites me. That kid has a freaking future. I'm glad it's not needed, but you get the feeling he could step in and contribute right away.

- With the fun stuff over, let's get to the bitching. First - Colgate coach Dick Biddle's strategy was to control the ball and keep the game close. I get that. However, not even ATTEMPTING to get points on the board at the end of first half when Colgate had the ball - that was pathetic. And a message to his team that they couldn't win. Nice work there.

- However, Colgate did a great job of controlling the ball on the ground. If I have to watch one more read option play the rest of the season, it will be one too many. SU did a poor job of letting a smaller opponent control the clock.

- Colgate spread the field often, only to run the ball. In a lot of those occasions, SU only had 3 down lineman in the game. Not sure what the philosophy was there, but even out of a spread formation in the shotgun, Colgate was attacking the center of the field. An extra D tackle might have been able to help prevent that.

- Did I mention I hated watching Colgate run the ball 217 times?

- The scariest moment of the season was when Derrell Smith was rolling around on the turf grabbing his knee. Terrifying.

- When Smith went out, he was replaced by Dan Vaughn and not Malcom Cater.

- Colgate had 52 carries and 230 yards on the ground. Noel Devine likes this.

- The Orange head into the bye 3-1. It's what they had to do, and that's a good thing. However, the combined record of their opponents this year is 3-11.....So while it's good that you take care of your business and beat the teams in front you, we still don't know where the team is yet. We'll find out soon.

Syracuse - Colgate Official Idiotic Predictions

Photo - HoyaSuxa

The Colgate Red Raiders make the short drive to Syracuse to take on the Syracuse Orange at 3:30 pm Saturday in a battle that should be forgotten 5 minutes after it ends (hopefully). For those who can't make the trip to the Dome and can get ESPN3, Dave Popkin and Je'Rod Cherry (great name for an early 1990s pop star) will keep you posted on all the action. As we do for each game, here are the predictions:

Champ

1-AA Football, it's FAN-tastic! And by fantastic we mean you James Madison.

The Red Raiders and Orangemen rekindle their old rivalry at 3:30 which is not a bad start time for us tailgaters. Let's cut to the chase.

Does anyone else think that after that 1st half vs. Maine this week's practice was not fun at all for our boys? In his typical anti-Greg-Robinson ways, Coach Marrone will have Syracuse fired up and ready to go from the start this week. A big shout-out to the student section last week. Great job and we need you back in full force again on Saturday.

I like a big SU win with highlights including:

- Ryan Nassib keeps on rolling. His favorite target Van "Heisman" Chew pulls in 2 TDs.

- Improved special teams play....like they have any direction to go but up?

- The white Subway sub pulls out a victory in the Subway sub race.

- Here's hoping Delone Carter gets back on track. Now's the time for it to happen.

Your Final:

Syracuse - 45
Colgate - 6

Happy tailgating everyone!

Rush

I know upsets can happen. Jacksonville State and James Madison have already beat teams that are better than Syracuse this year -- so I should take this game seriously, but I just can't. It's Colgate. There's no way they should even be on the same field with Syracuse. I simply can't get focused and don't care about this game. I'm more worried about Dan Conley blowing out another knee in a freak sideline collision than I am about anything else.

Lucky for SU, Doug Marrone feels the opposite, he'll have SU ready to play and the Orange will win this one comfortably. Some highlights:

- Me spilling just a small amount of doam foam on the seat of the guy in front of me.

- The same guy turning around and making 120 obvious observations in the first five minutes and my guilt immediately abating. The dude is a know-it-all who knows nothing. Those people are the worst.

- The floor of the concourse being unreasonably slippery.

- Malcom Cater killing someone.

Final

Syracuse - 52
Colgate - 2

Mr. T

Last week we added a new member to our prediction panel, noted actor and motivational speaker Mr. T. I called up T (that's what his friends call him) and here's what he had to say about the game.

I pity the fool that thinks Colgate can win this game. Mr. T wouldn't brush his teeth with Colgate. Mr. T gets Aim on sale at Aldi's. Only fools pay full price for toothpaste. Did you know it also cleans jewelry? Yeah, Mr. T needs some clean jewelry. Colgate needs to do three things Saturday, stay alive, revive, and make strides.....back to Hamilton. There, these suckas can play World of Warcraft. Besides, Hamilton reminds me of Hannibal, and nothing good ever happened when that fool was involved.

Syracuse - 38
Colgate - Pain

#5: NC State- 32, Cuse-31

Two NC State mulligans on this stupid countdown? Unfortunately yes. The 1997 battle at the Dome checks in at the # 5 spot on our Top 10 Syracuse Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era. Damn Wolfpack!

Boss, "If they had instant replay in 1997, this score would read SU 31-24."

AJV, "After blowing out Wisconsin in the Kickoff Classic, this loss really put them in funk, should have been a much better season. "

Russianator, "Squeeze the ball Dee Brown - squeeze it."

Champ, "The Orange's first foray into overtime. As great of a career as he had, unfortunately this is my defining Dee Brown memory."

The Mets Have Positions Available

Want to pass the time while waiting for the Syracuse Orange to play a meaningful football game? Then apply for a job with the NY Mets - there are plenty of positions available!



Hat tip to the Second String Blog for posting this awesome piece of work.

Syracuse Football: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Doug Marrone is working hard to resurrect the Syracuse football program. We all know it's not an easy task, but he clearly seems to be making progress. As such, I really have no problem with the Syracuse schedule this year. For a team with a new starting quarterback and a lot of true freshman seeing playing time, facing 3 soft opponents in the first 4 games isn't the worst way to open up the season. In fact, it makes a lot of sense.

Besides, this program isn't Rutgers, there's no indication Marrone and Daryl Gross will continue scheduling weak opponents year in and year out in order to secure berths in crappy bowl games.

However, the approach is not without problems. From my viewpoint, there are two main issues: 1) We don't know how good the team is; and 2) waiting to find out is a bitch.

If Syracuse is going to make real strides the team has to win conference games. This is especially true this year since the conference is putrid. We're talking last year PAC 10 basketball putrid. So there's clearly an opportunity here. What stinks for impatient morons like myself is having to wait to find out is SU can seize it. What makes matters worse is that after the Colgate game, SU has a bye, making the wait that much longer. Much like the early schedule, the bye is perfectly timed, as it will give SU two weeks to prepare for conference play which begins at South Florida on October 9. It still doesn't make it any easier to sit through.

In the meantime we wait. Sure we can lament Tanard Jackson's wasted career, or watch Sean and Otto's Army prepare for a duel to the death, or even watch Greg Robinson fail at his latest career stop (always fun), but none of those things are as fun as getting pumped for a meaningful game.

So while the idiots will tailgate and attend the Colgate game, it's hard to get pumped for a second consecutive weak opponent. I have no idea how Rutgers fans do this every year. Maybe they can send us a cheat sheet or something. We're not spring chickens and I don't think any of the idiots want to get even one a day older, but October 9th cant' get here soon enough.

In fact - Tom Petty said it best - the waiting is the hardest part. Hit it Tom.

Ebay Item of the Week: The plane! The plane boss!

Oops, wrong Tatu.

My soccer knowlede is very limited. I'm making some progress thanks to my wife and sister-in-law (former players) and this year's World Cup that was force fed to us by ESPN.

One thing I used to love was that indoor soccer that ESPN used to air around 4:00 after school. Scores like 17-16, now you're talking.

Anyways when you talk M.I.S.L. you have to talk the egend Tatu. For $500 you can own one of his game-used jerseys.

We'll let the man show you how it's done:

#6: Temple-17, Cuse-16

Photo: Frank Ordonez, P-S

This list only gets more painful. The Orangemen's 2002 loss to Temple finds itself at the #6 spot on our Top 10 Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era Countdown. Here's what the Idiots have to say:

Boss, "Listened to this on I-81, almost hit a bridge abutment when Collin Barber missed a PAT late in the 4th --- of course there was a time when a missed PAT against Temple, meant we only won by 39...thank you Coach P."

Russianator, "Syracuse scores a TD at the end of regulation to tie it and Colin Barber misses an extra point and SU loses to Temple? Did that really happen? It did, and in retrospect, it was the beginning of the end for Paul P. "

Poncho, "We should never lose to Temple. Period. I don’t care if Bill Cosby guest coached them on this day and he handed out puddin’ pops. This game was the beginning of the bandwagon to get Pasqualoni out of Syracuse. Talk radio from there on out (That’s you Mr. Brent Axe) was hammering on the staleness of ‘Cuse football in the next couple years and it definitely had a feeling it was losing it’s Mojo."

Champ, "The seven people in attendance at the Vet still talk about this one."

The Complete List

7) 1998 NC State

8) 1994 Oklahoma

9) 2004 Champs Sports Bowl

10) 2001 Miami

Ron Mexico is the King of Philadelphia

In a stunning move, Andy Reid did his best John Kerry imitation and named Michael Vick the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid did this after steadfastly maintaining that Kevin Kolb would return the starting line up this Sunday against Jacksonville.

Reactions are all over the board -- but most of the ones coming from the media are negative. Matt Mosley fired off an angry piece claiming the move will backfire. Most of the Eagles beat writers and columnists are shocked. As a fan, I can tell you the move is certainly out of character for the big guy. The arguments against the move are all of the same general variety -- that since Eagles decided to go all in with Kevin Kolb, he deserves a chance to see what he can do. Those arguing against the Vick move state that sitting him down will hurt the long-term development of the team. They argue that since Philly isn't a SuperBowl contender, this year to get ready for the future.

Now if you'll allow me to do something I never thought I'd do in a million years -- I need to defend a decision that benefits Michael Vick -- because frankly those are arguments are crap.

The rebuilding argument is garbage. Did anyone think Arizona was a SuperBowl team a few years ago? What about Pittsburgh when they won it from the 6th seed? Even the Giants two years ago made a late season surge, fueled by rookies, to win an unlikely title. I'm not saying I think the Eagles are SuperBowl material, but what I am saying is after two games, no one really knows. They have some dangerous playmakers on offense, and that gives them a punchers chance a lot of teams don't have.

The NFL is a win now league -- and in an era of free agency, other than a handful sorry franchises (the Bills, Raiders, and Lions are the main culprits) teams find ways to win quickly. It's why every year approximately 50 percent of the teams in the playoffs weren't there the year before. Only teams at that have fallen flat on their faces genuinely rebuild. Every one else tweaks their rosters and pushes towards January.

While the Eagles have issues along the offensive line and defensively, you play to win the game and right now Mike Vick give the team the best chance to do that. Vick's elusiveness allows him to make up for shortcomings along the line and gives him time to get the ball to his playmakers. While I was firmly in the camp that Donovan McNabb should still be in Philadelphia, that ship has sailed. We still don't know much about Kevin Kolb, but we know he's less mobile than Vick. I've seen enough from Ron Mexico to know he'll give this particular squad a chance each week. As a fan, that's all you can ask for.

Here's a video of Mort talking about the move:

#7: NC State-38, Cuse-17

Photo: Frank Ordonez, P-S

Like a game of Madden gone bad, there are a few Cuse games that we'd like to hit the reset button and and "do over." That was the thinking behind our latest lame poll, The Top 10 Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era.

Finding itself at the #7 spot of our mulligans, is the 1998 Thursday night ESPN nationally televised trip to NC State.

Boss, "Thursday night ESPN, Top 15 SU squad looking for revenge...got large dose of Torry Holt converting 3rd and longs all night. "

Russianator, "This game was a microcosm of everything that was wrong with the Pasqualoni era. A team with a ton of talent loses a game it shouldn't and a golden opportunity for a special season was lost. After getting screwed against Tennessee, the Orange bounce back and embarrass Michigan and Tom Brady in the Big House, give Rutgers their annual beating and then go down to NC State and lay an egg. Torry Holt went absolutely nuts and NC state fans had signs sponsored by Carrier. Just a maddening loss. If the Orange win that game, the tenor of the season changes. "

Champ, "The Torry Holt Show, brought to you by Carrier."

The Complete List:

8) 1994 Oklahoma

9) 1994 Champs Sports Bowl

10) 2001 Miami

#8: Oklahoma- 30, Cuse-29

Photo: Frank Ordonez, P-S

This one was a real kick in the pants. The 1994 Orangemen's 30-29 loss to Oklahoma lands at the #8 spot on the Top Ten Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era Countdown. Let's go to the panelists:

Boss, "Orangemen overcome 24 point deficit to lead with a minute remaining, but excessive celebration penalty, and missed extra-point give OU a chance late...you know the rest. "

Poncho, "Open up with the Soones at the Dome? Hell yes. Lose 30-29? Hell no. I’ve always thought that if we won that game this season we would have beaten Miami and Boston College and had a one-loss season. I was at this game and had too much to drink as a 20-year-old underage womanizer. I was eventually kicked out for lewd behavior. "

Champ, "The Captain and I were in attendance for this one. A great comeback all for naught. At least we'd get our revenge with the return trip to Norman a few years later....oh wait a minute."

For those wanting a a kidney punch, enjoy the memories:

The Complete List:

9) 1994 Champs Sports Bowl

10) 2001 Miami

A Work in Progress: Syracuse - Maine Observations

For the most part playing an FCS team is a no-win situation. If you beat your opponent, it's never by enough points and if you do the unthinkable and lose.....well let's not even contemplate that. The Syracuse Orange beat Maine Black Bears 38-14 in the Dome Saturday in a game that was dangerously close for one half. Luckily for the Orange, it was the first half. Let's get to the observations.

- Let's start with the good news -- last year student attendence was beyond anemic, but as you can see from the photo below, yesterday they turned out in droves. Let's keep it up.



- Alec Lemon shook off an early drop to tally 2 touchdown catches. He's been a very steady performer through three games. Likewise Van 'Heisman' Chew put up another impressive performance. The Orange have two very good receivers.

- As detailed in the Post Standard, Nick Provo was heavily involved in the offense and that paid off for the Orange big time. Being able to stretch the middle of the field is key for a team lacking a true burner at the wide out spot.

- You had to be impressed with Ryan Nassib's performance. He continues to get better and I like the way the schedule shakes out this year. He's getting time to really develop before the Big East starts.

- Speaking of the Big East, holy hell the conference is bad this year. So far Louisville's moral victory over Oregon State may be the highlight of the year for the conference. That is not a typo.

- The defense, after struggling mightily in the first half, got its swagger back in the second half.

- While the competition wasn't great, it was good to see Da'Mon Merkerson bounce back after a rough outing against Washington.

- Chandler Jones will play in the NFL - enjoy watching him while he's here. The dude is something special.

- Champ fired up some awesome beer brats at the tailgate. Oh tailgating, how we love you.

- I could watch Maine coach Jack Cosgrove fold laundry and be entertained. The man is insane on the sideline.

- On the downside, we'll start with the opening kickoff -- after getting repeatedly fooled by the Black Bears last year on special teams, Maine opened up with a reverse that went for over 60 yards to start the game. I took a video of it, so we can all re-live the fun.



- I thought Doug Hogue struggled out there. He missed some tackles in the first half and wasn't really a factor when the game was close.

- I'd still like to see Antwon Bailey get more touches. He's a unique talent that needs to be utilized more.

- I know Coach Marrone said Maine was stacking the box and selling out to stop the run, but it's Maine man. I don't care if they put 11 guys in the box, Syracuse should be able to run on them. Yesterday they couldn't. This does not bode well for the future.

- Likewise, we are still waiting for Delone Carter to break a long gain this year.

- It was a rough first half and a solid second half, hopefully the Orange can build off it and really roll Colgate next week. I agree with Axe 100 percent here - Colgate is SU's mulligan, hopefully they take advantage of it.

Greg Robinson Weekly

UMass...439 total yards, hee...hee...hee.

"Greg Robinson needs to go as defensive coordinator or it may cost Rich Rod his job." ~Bleacher Report

"Jeers: Greg Robinson. UMass ate up the zone most of the day and the Michigan rush hardly ever pressured the passer." ~Bleacher Report

"But this was troubling, one of the weakest defensive performances by a winning Michigan team in a long time. And frankly, I'm not sure how quickly this young, thin defense can be fixed." ~Detroit News


"U-M allowed a season-high in points, were routinely gashed in the running game and kept letting the Minutemen get to the sideline edges, a major fault when trying to contain the play into the middle of the field. " ~Detroit Free Press

"Michigan's defense often looked weak, slow and confused against Massachusetts. " ~SI

Who could be the next Michigan Defensive Coordinator thread from the Michigan Scout Board

The Captain's Fantasy - Week 2

The Captain is back with his weekly fantasy football advice. Off we go.

Well that sure was an interesting Week 1 in the NFL from a fantasy football standpoint. There were a bunch of surprising performances to say the least, let's hit on a couple.

- Anyone on the 49ers not named Davis or Gore gets to sit the pine. "Communication issues" between Singletary and Alex Smith were the supposedly to blame for week one's most shocking turnout. The 49ers were everyone's darling this year. I need to see more consistent play before I trust anyone on this roster.

-Did any one else see IND, NYJ, MIN, and SD all losing week 1 games? Me either. The only fantasy value from any of these 3 was IND. Even in a losing effort, P. Manning was monstrous.

-Arian Foster..... WOW. As a Matt Schaub owner, I'm not overly concerned with the lack of passing last week. IND run D is notoriously soft. But 231 yards...... if you were able to get him in the 3rd-4th round like most people, you got the steal of the draft.

Onto the Picks - Stock Up

QB - MIKE VICK - PHI - Vick gets the Detroit Kittens this week. The match up is prime for him to have another great game. Possible top 5 qb for this week. I'd look for 1-2 passing tds and 1 rushing td. If he's still available, (prob not) go get him.

WR - MOHAMMED MASSACUOI - CLE - Another favorable match up for MM this week. He flew under most people's radar last week. Keep an eye on who he is playing week to week, if the match up is right, he should be a viable WR2 or WR3/flex in most leagues.

RB - BRANDON JACKSON - GB - With Ryan Grant done for the year, Jackson is a great pick up this week. I think he fits well as a RB2/flex option from this point out. He will get some yards in garbage time with Aaron Rodgers getting like 7000 yards passing this week.

Stock down

RB - SHONN GREEN - NYJ- Anyone else see this coming? I didn't think Green could/would be the stud everyone thought he was going to be. LT is still viable. I think he was way overvalued for where he went in most drafts this year.

WR - MARK CLAYTON - STL - Clayton had a great week last week - 110 yds receiving. But do you honestly think he is going to be this productive every week in STL with a rookie QB at the helm? I'm not saying he is useless, just temper you expectations.

RB - MIAMI - I see a heavy dose of passing this week as the Fins get GB. They are going to be down big, expect a heavy dose of passing in catchup mode. 50-100 yds for both backs combined, I'd be surprised if they get a td on the ground.

Random Captain-ness -

- If you can, get Vincent Jackson on your roster. He is gaining momentum as a pick up with the leagues ruling this week. If he gets traded by wed, he could be back by weeks 4-5, and possibly in purple and yellow....

- Keep an eye on KC DEF this year. This unit was a laughing stock the past couple of years, they did keep an amazing offense in check ( SD ). Who knows, if the match up is right, they may be worth a start.

- Anyone else want to vomit after seeing Leonard Weavers leg injury on slow-mo replay?

- Sam Bradford should have Dr. James Andrews number on speed dial. 58 passing attempts week 1.....

- GO CUSE!

Best of luck in week 2.

The Captain

Idiot Pigskin Recipe: Week 3

This great recipe is one that was handed down through the generations. I truly believe this is a Game Day must for the avid Syracuse football fan when the team is playing a mediocre regional D1AA football team. It goes down a bit chompy at first - but crack the seal and let the swill breath for a few minutes prior to preferencing.

Brewski Al Dente

Prep Time: 4 Minutes
Ingredients: Milwaukee's Best Light

Directions:

(1) On a large couch, sit and drink a can of Milwaukee's Best Light
(2) Make sure "loose" women are around to fetch more cans from your cooler and/or fridge
(3) When finished with first can, open next can, let it breath and repeat first step
(3.1) After finished with at least a bakers dozen, realize we are playing Maine and relax.


This recipe is for a party that has women who are self described "free spirits".

Maine v. Syracuse - Official Idiotic Predictions

Art courtesy of the amazing Michael Borkowski. Follow him on twitter as well.

The Maine Black Bears travel south to take on the Syracuse Orange Saturday night in the home opener under the great telfon bubble known as the Carrier Dome. As we do every week, here are our official idiotic predictions for the game.

Champ

It's home opener time kids and we couldn't be happier, unless of course our boys were coming home 2-0. Let's get to the beatdown that will kickoff at 7:15 Saturday.

No need to worry about our team pulling a Va Tech this weekend. The Orangemen come out to an announced crowd of 43K (actual fannies in seat - 36K) and begin the assault.

T3I's adopted Heisman candidate Van Chew gets his campaign back on track with a solid outing. Meanwhile, a pumped up Ryan Nassib facing an overmatched Maine "D" cuts down on the fumbles and forces and begins to look like the field general we all hope he becomes.

Final Score:

Syracuse 44
Maine 6

Rush

Maine is one of the few schools in the land that actually travels SOUTH to play Syracuse. Deep thought I know. That's the kind of guy I am -- an intellectual. Having been to Maine, I can tell you what they do well up there - lobster. The lobster is great. The football -- not so much.

I agree with Champ, we won't be seeing anything close to Va. Tech v. James Madison or Ole Miss v. Jacksonsville State. There's no doubt Doug Marrone lit into his team this week after a rough outing in the Pacific Northwest. Combine that with the fact that Maine got shut out at home by UAlbany (my alma mater - go Danes) and we've got the makings of a classic mismatch.

I see the Orange coming out and playing power football most of the game. Ryan Nassib will take a few shots down the middle, but the Orange do nothing fancy, they will just grind an inferior team into the ground the same way they took out Akron. Maine is a spunky outfit and will once again fool the Orange with a trick play on special teams which will lead me to call for Bob Casullo's firing, but it's not enough to overcome the Orange.

Final Score

Syracuse 49
Maine 13

Mr. T

Special guest football handicapper Mr. T will be joining us periodically for predictions this season as well. When I asked him what his prediction was for the Black Bears this weekend, he told me:

#9: Georgia Tech- 51, Syracuse-14

Photo: Frank Ordonez, Post-Standard

This stupid countdown rolls along. Checking in at number nine on the list of "Top 10 Syracuse Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era" is the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl debacle that would become Coach P's swan song.

Russianator, "If SU doesn't get blown out, maybe Pasqualoni doesn't get fired and maybe Greggers never shows up in Central NY and......well just thinking about it makes my head hurt."

AJV, "Edges out the Purdont debacle only in that it was the final nail in P's coffin brining on the GRob era."

Champ, "I remember at the time being so disinterested in this game that I actually went out Christmas shopping during the first half. Talk about a weird convergence....the end of P and the beginning of GRob, a great 'what if' moment in history."

The Complete List:

#9: 2004 Champs Sports Bowl

#10: 2001 Miami

Syracuse Owns Big Monday

This just in from the ESPN PR department -- the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team will have three Big Monday games this year. Also joining SU with 3 games a piece are Villanova and Pittsburgh. The hated Georgetown Hoyas get one game. Screw them. Here's the Big Monday schedule:

Jan 17 (3:30 p.m.) Villanova at Connecticut

Jan 17 (7:30 p.m.) Syracuse at Pittsburgh

Jan 24 (7 p.m.) Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

Jan 31 (7 p.m.) Louisville at Georgetown

Feb 7 (7 p.m.) Pittsburgh at West Virginia

Feb 14 (7 p.m.) West Virginia at Syracuse

Feb 21 (7 p.m.) Syracuse at Villanova

Feb 28 (7 p.m.) Villanova at Notre Dame

Jean Claude Thursday's: A Syracuse Tribute

This is the first of a weekly edition featuring the "Mussels from Brussels". Jean Claude has been a lifelong 'Cuse fan and was happy to pose for an array of photos featuring some body paint representing the Syracuse universe.

This shot shows Van Damme outside the Hooters in Delray Beach, FL. After a few dozen wings and 3 pitchers of Miller lite, Jean was more than ready to shoot in this fantastic setting. For those that didn't realize a mountain range existed in the Atlantic - we didn't either. Thank Global Warming.

Fake Lou Holtz is Amazing

Last weekend during halftime of a college football game Lou Holtz was providing some analysis* of what had just happened on the field when out of nowhere my wife (who was in the next room) asked, "what's wrong with that guy? Why does he talk that way. Is he drunk?" Of course, I didn't have an answer, but the point of the story is that Lou's way of speaking can only be qualified as "unique." In fact, I didn't really think it could be mimicked, and if it was possible, I didn't think I'd want to hear it.

I was wrong. A radio duo named Rick and Bubba have Lou Holtz impersonator on from time to time and the guy is dead on. It's pretty hilarious. The clip below is 15 minutes long and I don't expect you to listen to it all, but give it a minute or two -- it's perfect. And the best part - there's no Mark May to make things even worse.



*The term "analysis" is used in the loosest way possible. For example, my 3 year old nephew can look at his chicken nuggets and tell you why he likes them, that's analysis too

Ebay Item of the Week: Doug Marrone's Herbie Hancock

Who would pay $4.99 for a 3x5 index card? Well, a better question is...if it has the autograph of THE GREATEST FOOTBALL COACH EVER, who wouldn't? I want to wallpaper my man cave with these things. This week's Ebay Item of the Week features the John Hancock of the savior of Syracuse football.

John Hancock....everyone knows it's really Herbie Hancock.

#10: Miami- 59, Syracuse-0

And we're off! Checking in at the #10 spot on the "Top 10 Syracuse Football Mulligans of the HumpIdiot Era Countdown" is the 2001 debacle against the #2 ranked Miami Hurricanes.

Boss, "Many whitewashings from the P era to choose from...Big East title on the line...but hardly ever in doubt."

AJV, "Embarrassing."

The Complete List:

#10: 2001 Miami

HumpIdiot Poll: Mulligan Anyone?

The Idiots Fire Up the T3I Hot Tub Time Machine

We tried to warn you. Our expert panel of idiots is back at it. For our loyal readers out there (all three of you), you know that every now and then this band of idiots enjoys a little barstool debate on stupid subjects that we find amusing. Our past HumpIdiot polls include:

Top Basketball Orangemen of the HumpIdiot Era

Top Football Orangemen of the HumpIdiot Era

Biggest Football Wins of the HumpIdiot Era

and the award winning:

Top Old School NASCAR Paint Schemes of the HumpIdiot Era

So here we go. Last week's trip to Washington has us thinking "re-do." We've pulled in our usual "experts", Russianator, Poncho, Boss, AJV and myself. Our task, we fire up the T3I Hot Tub Time Machine and rank the 10 games, since the early '80s (HumpIdiot Era) we'd like our beloved Orangemen to have another shot at winning.

The results are in and we'll start counting down the Top 10. Before we do, here's a few that didn't quite crack the Top Ten. Our "Also Receiving Votes" category includes:

2004- Purdue 51, Cuse 0

2009- UConn 56, Cuse 31

1996 Miami 38, Cuse 31

1990 Tulane 26, Cuse 24

1993 Texas 21, Cuse 21

1997 Fiesta Bowl, Bill Snyder's Halfway House 35, Cuse 18

2005 West Virginia 15, Cuse 7

1996 Minnesota 35, Cuse 33

1999 Orange Bowl, Florida 31, Cuse 10

2006 Iowa 20, Cuse 13

1999 Rutgers 24, Cuse 21

1999 Va Tech 62, Cuse 0

1991 Florida State 46, Cuse 14

Buckle up, sit back and enjoy. Remember this ride is "Roc Certified."

Food For Idiots 101: Flatbread Pizza

I believe it was former President George Walker Bush who said "If you're American and don't like Pizza, the terrorists win." I was never much of a Bush supporter, but I have to agree with him on this one.

Pizza = Freedom!

Pizza also goes hand-in-hand with our national past time, baseball  football. Nothing beats a good Pie, cold beer and comfy couch for Game Day. Having said that, I would like to introduce you to the best flat bread recipe in all of the land. How do I know it's the best flat bread recipe? I stole it. *Note, if you don't have a mixer, you're shit out of luck - call Dominos.

Flat Bread Pizza

Yield 25 6oz pizza doughs

Olive Oil            5oz
Water            5 cups
Honey            3oz
Dry Yeast        7 1/2 tsp
Flour, Bread        2.5 #
AP Flour            2.5 #
Salt            8 tsp
Black Pepper    2 tsp

Method

1. Combine the water, oil, and honey in pot: bring to 100 degrees. *(The honey will add a touch of sweetness)

2. Combine dry ingredients, place in mixer, add liquid and incorporate on first speed, about 8 minutes

3. Place dough in bowl and keep in a warm spot for about an hour

4. Scale dough into 6 oz balls, let them rest form half an hour covered up


Next Week's recipe: Barbecue Orange Chicken

Tale of the Tape: Flight Discipline v. Shower Discipline

College football coaches have to be more than simply X and O guys. They are dealing with a bunch of 18-22 year old athletes (accept for BYU, which is a bunch of married 24 year olds with 5 kids) and as such, they need to be shapers of men.

Two incidents recently reminded sports fans of this fact. Tennessee coach Derek Dooley recently had to instruct his players on proper "shower discipline," and it was reported that after Syracuse's loss to Washington, coach Doug Marrone wasn't too pleased with his team's travel habits. So naturally, that got me thinking, which is the tougher life skill to teach - riding on an airplane or taking a shower? Let's go to the tape and break it down scientifically.

Technical Difficulty

Showering: While nearly everyone showers on a regular basis, showering properly isn't as easy as it seems. While you'd think soap, water and gravity would take care of nearly anything, there are always spots you miss. Case in point, I bet you didn't wash behind your ears today. Stick your finger back there and give it a sniff. Yeah, that's what I though. This is compounded when you factor in the size of most football players - they are twice as big as you and I. That's a lot of surface area -- and hidden spots -- to cover.

Air travel: There isn't much to riding on a plane. It goes something like this: find your seat; cram a 76 pound carry on bag into the overhead compartment; wait for the fat dude in front you to recline his seat back all the way; wait for the 3 year old behind you to start kicking your seat and ENJOY!

Advantage: Showering

Gross out factor

Showering: Did Dooley hop in the shower and take a hands on approach with 85 naked men? Were speedos involved? Was it simply a shower walk-through or was water actually running? So many questions.....

Air travel: Airline food jokes have been around forever for one reason -- because they are true. Only now, to add insult to injury, you have to pay for the shitty food before it makes you sick. Plus, there's no place for wayward smells to hide in a plane after people eat that overpriced dog crap.

Advantage: Showering

Security

Showering: I would assume at most places across the country, while it isn't easy to get into the showers of athletic facilities, you don't need to take your shoes off -- until you are in the shower anyway, although that's not recommended.

Air Travel: Airline security screeners are in interesting bunch - every wonder how those people ended up in those positions? Did they seek out law enforcement positions and were rebuffed? Are they voyeurs who like getting paid to look at other people's stuff? Or maybe they are a bunch of people who just need to work near a bad Sbarros because they can't live without pizza that tastes like cardboard. Whatever the answer is - no one gets a free pass from these people.

Advantage: Air Travel

Entertainment

Showering: Unless the showers are inside Oz, there should be very little entertainment in the shower.

Air Travel: On a recent flight to Hawaii I was subjected to the Bounty Hunter, which I can only surmise was BARELY more tolerable than prison rape. Barely.

Advantage: Showering

Opportunities for Improvement

Showering: Most people shower every day so there's plenty of room to practice the new techniques you've learned -- however, there's a downside as well. There's more opportunities to screw up. Same principle as why the Browns don't want Jake Delhomme to throw many passes this year.

Air travel: Long flights are relatively rare in college football since most teams won't sack up and seek out tough competition. It's easier to just pay East Montana State of North Dakota to come to your place and beat them silly, so opportunities for improvement are limited. The upside, less chance to screw up.

Advantage: Push

Boredom factor

Showering: If you get bored showering in close proximity to 85 other men, you obviously need more training.

Air travel: If you don't get bored on a plane you're either mildy retarded or your name's Greg Robinson.

Advantage: Air travel

Intangibles

Showering: Teaching large men how to scrub their balls and then keep their respect later that day you're trying to teach them how to execute a zone blitz is a tricky, tricky thing. You don't want your DE thinking about loofahs when he should be dropping into the flat.

Air Travel: Flying isn't hard, and while it can completely suck, even Shrek has it's positive moments - I mean Eddie Murphy, even in cartoon form, can still be funny. And if he doesn't make you laugh, just think about the time he was caught with a tranny hooker, that will always be funny.

Advantage: Showering

So there you have it, when you break it down scientifically, the numbers tell us teaching showering is more difficult than teaching guys how to ride on an airplane. But it was a lot closer than it first appeared.

Mr. Keller, Mr. Lewis is on Line One

At the very end of the complete suck-fest that was the Ravens-Jets game, Ray Lewis nearly legally killed Dustin Keller - feel free to fill in your own Ray Lewis murder joke here. Ironically, on the next play Keller stepped out of bounds a yard short of the first down to essentially end the game.

A Litttle Hungover This Monday, eh ACC?

Good Morning ACC, how was your weekend? It looks like you ended Saturday night drinking warm well gin with the a chubby gal who was ready to make a bad decision. I just hope you used protection, because we don't need any more mediocre college football teams running amuck around this country - we have enough of them already. I heard Virginia Tech team was drunk sexting Florida International players wanting to see pictures of their tackling drills.

Let's take a look at some weekend ACC scores, shall we?

Kansas - 28
Georgia Tech - 25

Oklahoma - 47
Florida State - 17 (Sorry Bubba)

Ohio State - 36
Miami - 24 (Thug U got played out by, um, Thug U)

and my favorite....

James Madison - 21
Virginia Tech - 16 (He-He)

*With all the bashing the Big East has taken this season, and rightfully so, the ACC is NOT a deep conference in terms of some pre-season polls may have led us to believe. James Madison should never beat a Virginia Tech team team in Blacksburg. Granted James Madison is a FBS powerhouse, the Hokies should have handled them fairly easy at home. They now have to play my alma mater, East Carolina University next week. The Pirates are 2-0 with a sound spread offense that can throw some points on the board and should be able to push their way through a porous Tech defense.

Go Pirates!

Reality Check: Syracuse Washington Observations

Last week the Syracuse Orange punished the Akron Zips, winning 29-3. The win gave the team and its fans needed hope. While a good season is still very much a possibility, for all the hope that the Akron game gave us, the 41-20 loss to Washington was a reality check. This program is improving, but the road back to the top of the Big East will not be a smooth one.

After jumping out to a quick 10-0 lead, the Orange were outscored 41-10 the rest of the way. Washington was simply a better team. And for what it's worth, Akron lost to Gardner-Webb this weekend -- I'd be shocked if that team wins a game all year. So the Zips are probably a little worse than we thought and the Huskies are certainly better.

The Orange return home to back to back games against 1-AA opponents and frankly, they are coming at the right time. We'll have a humbled team that's ready to improve and a couple of opponents who should provide ample opportunities to do so. Let's get to a few observations:

- I don't want to kill these guys, they are all out there busting their asses, but Da'Mon Merkerson was awful. I can live with getting beat in coverage, that happens to everyone, but in the second half Washington ran right at him, and he got run over or blown out of the play time and time again.

- The offensive line isn't where it needs to be. Both tackles are struggling and while everyone his high on Justin Pugh, he has not played up to expectations yet. This team will need Pugh and right tackle Michael Hay to progress quickly as the season goes along.

- I'd really like to see Antwon Bailey more involved in the game plan moving forward. He's a dynamic guy who adds an element of speed to the offense and I think he needs 12-15 touches a game at a minimum. He reminds me a little of a healthy Brian Westbrook, he's a versatile guy that can create mismatches on the edges. Hopefully he's used more as the season progresses.

- After a sure-handed performance last week, the WRs dropped some catchable balls out there. Aaron Weaver had an especially rough day. He needs to eliminate those, or we need to see what Marcus Sales can do.

- However, Van Chew turned in another outstanding performance. He's the team's best receiver and a legitimate deep threat. Watching him develop before our eyes is a treat. Likewise, Alec Lemon is a solid complement on the other side.

- It was good to see Delone Carter pound the ball in the second half, it would have been much nicer with a lead.....

- Chandler Jones, Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith all stood out on the defensive side of the ball. Marcus Spruill showed some potential as well.

- Say whatever you want about Jake Locker and the Heisman, after watching that game I know this, Syracuse won't face a better quarterback all year. He's obviously mobile, but was much more accurate than I've seen him. You can't fault an NFL team for salivating over a guy with a big time arm and some very quick feet.

- While last year a lot of us were sick to death of the screen game, I didn't see any tonight, even in the face of intense pressure. 50 bubble screens a game are bad, but a well executed screen mixed in now and then - especially to a guy like Bailey, can be effective.

- Warren Moon is possibly the worst announcer in the history of football. He treats his wife better than he treats the viewers. He couldn't even pronounce Ryan Nassib's name correctly, which is kind of important since he has the ball in his hands on every offensive play. He makes Joe Theismann sound competent - and that's nearly impossible.

- Speaking of which, Ryan Nassib wasn't bad - he endured some drops, but was under pressure all night. One thing he absolutely, positively needs to work on is ball security. He is putting it on the ground entirely too much.

- I absolutely hated, hated, hated, hated the punt down 21 with 5 minutes to go. Were they going to win the game? Of course not. However, just waving the white flag and giving up makes me mental. There's no difference between a 21 and a 28 point loss. Go for it on fourth down and try and give your offense some more work. Did I mention that I hated that call?

- The bottom line, Syracuse needed to play a clean game and limit mistakes and turnovers to win. They didn't do that - but there's still a lot of season to be played, and they stand a very good chance of heading into October 3-1, and that's not too bad.

Idiot Pigskin Recipe - Week 2

Here is a little gem that I hide in the back of my illustrious recipe book. Spaten goes well with any event, especially mediocre college football teams from the Northwest. This recipe yields just the right amount of savory and sweet combinations while the holding a bright balance of flavors in your mouth.


Poncho's Spaten Over Easy

Prep Time: 3 Minutes
Ingredients: Spaten Lager

Directions:

(1) On a large couch, sit and drink a bottle of Spaten
(2) Taste the Munich flavor
(2.1) When finished with first bottle, open next bottle and repeat first step
(3) Watch Jake Locker's knee break from the flying Orange tag-team of  Derrell Smith and Doug Hogue


This recipe is quick and is delicious around juggy women.

Syracuse v. Washington: Official Idiotic Predictions

Image via Hoya Suxa

The mighty Syracuse Orange travel to the left coast to take on the Washington Huskies tomorrow at 7 pm local time and that means one thing -- it's time for our official idiotic predictions.

Last week Champ and I were pretty much on the money in terms of calling the Akron game - so let's mix some blatant Syracuse homerism with some questionable prognostication skills and get to our picks.

Champ
The 1-0 Syracuse Orange (yes you are reading that correctly) roll into Seattle to do battle with the 0-1 Washington Huskies. We're fired up for this one for a couple of reasons:

1) We're undefeated, and
2) We're one week closer to tailgating at the home opener.

Let's get down to business. Heisman trophy candidate Van Chew will try to impress West Coast voters with a convincing performance. Mike "Holmes on Homes" has his eyes on exposing the shoddy construction that makes up the Husky offense. Unfortunately, our boys are in for a tough one this week. The young Orange come out a little-shell shocked in front a loud crowd, however there is no quit in this dog. Our boys fight to the end but come a bit short.

Your final:

UDub - 24
Cuse - 14

Some highlights:

- Ryan Nassib's continued growth....playing on the road in Husky Stadium will age this kid a few years

- Jake Locker will be feeling it the day after. This Cuse team hits hard and hits often.

- Doug Hogue's line: 78 tackles, 13 sacks, 5 interceptions, cures the common cold, settles Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and defeats Lex Luthor....not a bad day.

Rush
This game really comes down to two things:

1) Can the Syracuse front 7 contain Jake Locker?
2) Can the Orange win the turnover battle?

The answer to both is yes, although I'm more confident in the former than the latter. The SU defense will make a huge statement on Saturday. While there's no doubt the Orange face a tough, tough test traveling across country to play a talented team, Washington is still a young team. Like Syracuse they are trying to break cycles of losing and the program is filled with guys who are more used to getting beat than celebrating at the end of contests. They have issues along the offensive line and they are playing a ton of true freshman. Any of this sound familiar Syracuse fans?

What they don't have so far is a win - and they also have a huge game looming on the horizon next week against Nebraska. The tape the Huskies will get from the Akron game isn't going to tell them much, Syracuse was purposefully bland. At the end of a close game, do they have the mentality and toughness to pull out a win?

Here's how I see this breaking down. Washington gets the opening kickoff in front of a large crowd and moves the ball to the 50. The drive stalls and UW sends out its walk-on punter for his first-ever college kick and the kid promptly fumbles the ball and the Orange recover at the UW 30. Bob Casullo gets so excited he pulls an Andy Bernard and accidently tears his sack doing a celebratory split.

From there the teams battle all game long. Scott Shafer brings blitzes UW hasn't seen, Marrone diversifies the offense and at the game is tied at 24 when a Washington turnover gives SU life. Freshman Ross Krautman boots a 35 yard field goal with time expiring for your final:

UDub - 24
SU - 27

And whatever you do, take SU and the points, the last time I checked the spread was almost 2 tds. That's way too high.

Bonus fact:

Doug Marrone and Steve Sarkisian have the same career record of 5-8.