District 3-AAA Power Rankings - Week 5

1. Powell (6-0) - Remains ranked #2 in the state. Panthers rolled over Karns, building a 40-7 lead early in the 4th quarter. Mobley's stats (through 6 games): 87 carries, 1140 yards, 19 TDs. The Panthers last big test of the regular season is this Friday, hosting Hardin Valley with first place on the line.
2. Hardin Valley (4-1) - Held off Central last week, 24-14. Hawks have yet to hit their stride offensively. Still not sure what happened against Heritage, otherwise this team would be unbeaten. Battle the Panthers for first place in the district this week.
3. Oak Ridge (2-3) - Couldn't get anything going against Maryville, which wasn't a shock. The Wildcats need Zullinger back in a big way, but he still hasn't been cleared to play. Big game at Anderson County this week.
4. Karns (4-2) - Came back down to earth after getting crushed by Powell. The Beaver defense still looks good, but the offense just isn't there. Intriguing game with an improving Halls team this week.
5. Anderson County (3-3) - Won a close shootout against Halls. Still has yet to stop anyone defensively, which will likely cost them against OR this Friday.
6. Halls (1-5) - Came up short against AC. The offensive is definitely improving, but the defense just isn't there. Tough game against Karns this week.
7. Campbell County (2-4) - Big win against Clinton. The Cougar offense is starting to click the 2 games. Off this week.
8. Central (0-6) - Still can't seem to find any offense. The Bobcat defense continues to keep games close, but if you can't score, you can't win. Hosts Clinton this Friday, so someone gets their first win of the season.
9. Clinton (0-6) - Edged by CC, which was their best chance for a win. Travel to Central this week, with one more chance for that elusive first win.

Other teams to watch out for in 5A (early title contenders):

• Morristown West
• Knox West
• Tullahoma
• Gallatin
• Columbia
• Clarksville NE
• Henry County
• Memphis East

District 3-AAA Power Rankings - Week 4

1. Powell (5-0) - Ranked #2 in the state, and still looks like a title contender. Looked very focused in their blowout win at Anderson County. Hosts Karns this week.
2. Oak Ridge (2-2) - Struggled against Halls, but scored 2 TDs late to put the game away. Look for Zullinger to return soon. Tough test against Maryville this week.
3. Hardin Valley (3-1) - Edged a bad Campbell County squad, 26-20. The Hawks have been Jekyll/Hyde so far this season, but are still a talented bunch. Should get back on track this week against Central.
4. Karns (4-1) - Big win against Central - only their second win over the Bobcats in school history. Hard to believe that this is the same team that looked awful against South Doyle in week 0. The Beavers found a way to slow down Powell's offense last season. We'll see if they are up to the task again on Friday.
5. Anderson County (2-3) - Crushed by the Panthers. This team really lacks a defense, but as bad as the bottom half of the district is, AC should easily earn a playoff spot. Hosts Halls this week.
6. Halls (1-4) - Impressive performance against OR for 3+ quarters, but the defense just couldn't hold up. Tough test against AC this week.
7. Central (0-5) - The Bobcats still can't find any offense, recording 57 total yards of offense and scoring just 3 offensive points against Karns. Thankfully, they've played great defense this year, which keeps them out of my bottom two. Things won't get any easier at Hardin Valley this week.
8. Campbell County (1-4) - Surprising effort against Hardin Valley. Winable game at Clinton this Friday.
9. Clinton (0-5) - Blown out by Knox Central (KY). Failed to score any offensive points. Best chance for a win comes this week against CC.

Hard to believe that one of the bottom four teams will earn an automatic playoff spot.

Other teams to watch out for in 5A (early title contenders):

• Morristown West
• Knox West
• Tullahoma
• Gallatin
• Columbia
• Clarksville NE 
• Henry County
• Memphis East

District 3-AAA Power Rankings - Week 3

1. Powell (4-0) - Ranked #2 in the state. Huge comeback win against Oak Ridge. Dy'shawn Mobley is playing like a man among boys. The Panthers are looking for payback at Anderson County this week.
2. Oak Ridge (1-2) - Tough loss for OR against Powell. The loss of Zullinger really hurt in the 2nd half. This is still a playoff team, with a solid defense. Watch out for the Wildcats, once Zullinger comes back in a couple of weeks.
3. Hardin Valley (2-1) - Started out very slow, but still shutout a bad Clinton squad (27-0). In a few weeks, I expect to see Eskridge and the Hawks to hit their stride.
4. Anderson County (2-2) - Cruised against Central last week. We know they can sling it around, but the Mavs have a suspect defense.
5. Karns (3-1) - When was the last time this team was 3-1? Hard to believe that this is the same team that looked awful against South Doyle (lost 7-0). The Beavers have the talent to beat Central. Then, the real challenge begins.
6. Central (0-4) - Cody Blanc was out with an ankle injury last week, which didn't help against AC. This team is in trouble, especially on offense (20 points through 4 games).
7. Halls (1-3) - Completely dominated by Webb last week. Tough matchups with OR and AC in the next two weeks.
8. Campbell County (1-3) - Ugly shutout loss to Karns last week. It's not going to get any easier against Hardin Valley.
9. Clinton (0-4) - Three straight shutout losses. What has happened to this team, now that Darian Stone and company are gone?

Other teams to watch out for in 5A (early title contenders):

• Morristown West
• Knox West
• Ooltewah
• Tullahoma
• Columbia
• Henry County

College Football - Week 2 Recap/Week 3 Preview

First Impressions

• I'm starting to doubt what I said last week about Ohio State. Luke Fickell made some strange decisions against Toledo, which included leaving Braxton Miller on the bench for all 4 quarters. The Rockets are going to win some games this year, and may even win the MAC, but they are still Toledo. Saturday's game at Miami will be a true litmus test for the Buckeye offense.
• Tyler Bray is the real deal. So is Justin Hunter and Da'Rick Rogers. We knew that Cincinnati's defense wouldn't challenge the Vols, but now comes the real test. If Tyler Bray has time to throw the ball, Tennessee can/will beat Florida. The Vols still have run blocking issues to work out, and the defense still looks questionable (Cincinnati beat themselves in short yardage situations last week), but Florida's offense isn't going to put up huge numbers. If this is a shootout, Tennessee wins.
• The Notre Dame-Michigan game was absolutely win-win for me. Notre Dame is completely overrated and has a tough game against Michigan State this week. Michigan looks like a carbon copy of last year's team. They still can't play defense, Denard Robinson can only throw jump balls, and he's their only source of offense. Two games into the season, it looks like Brady Hoke has already abandoned his new offense, to allow Robinson to run.
• I thought Iowa was a sleeper in the Big Ten. I was dead wrong. They have to bounce back against Pitt.
• What is the deal with Auburn?
• You have to admire East Carolina. Those guys will play just about anyone, anywhere. Another close loss to a BCS contender.
• South Carolina's chances of winning the SEC East hinge on their defense, and they've been shredded through 2 games. They better not sleep on Navy (just ask Ohio State).
• Add Texas to my list of overrated teams.
• LSU is by far the most physical team I've seen this year.

Games to Watch

• Boise State-Toledo:  Will the Rockets have any punch left after falling just short against OSU last week?
• Tennessee-Florida:  If the Vols win, it would be their biggest win since the 2004 season.
• Michigan State-Notre Dame:  There is a TON of pressure on ND to finally crack the win column.
• Navy-South Carolina:  Don't sleep on Navy.
• Arizona State-Illinois:  Quietly one of the better games this Saturday.
• Ohio State-Miami:  What can you say about this game that hasn't already been said?
• Oklahoma-Florida State:  FSU is overranked, but still a good team. Should still be a good game.

District 3-AAA Power Rankings - Week 2

After 3 weeks of football, I've finally gotten a chance to evaluate each of the teams in district 3-AAA, and here are my thoughts:

1. Powell (3-0) - Ranked #2 in the state, and for good reason. Powerful offense that can score with 2 different QBs. Although injuries are still a concern for this team, the defense has been better than expected, and they are getting heathier each week. Big showdown with Oak Ridge on Thursday night.
2. Oak Ridge (1-1) - The Wildcats appear to be the only major threat standing between Powell and another undefeated regular season. Solid defense, with a veteran QB and an emerging young talent at RB.
3. Hardin Valley (1-1) - Destroyed Bearden and them crumbled against Heritage. Not sure what to make of the Hawks just yet, but this team has a lot of returning talent (including Eskridge at RB), and they should be in the top 3 in the district by season's end. Good shot at a wild card playoff spot, even if they finish behind OR.
4. Anderson County (1-2) - Clearly a different team without Tanner Williams, but can still score points. Very suspect on defense, but should still be a playoff team.
5. Central (0-3) - Cody Blanc has been ineffective, and their lack of depth is killing the Bobcats. They have a solid defense, which is making up for their lack of offense (just 13 offensive points all season). Should grab the 3rd 5A playoff spot out of this district.
6. Karns (2-1) - Looked horrible against South Doyle, but bounced back with a big comeback against Corbin. Looked solid against Clinton. Should be 3-1 after this week, but that's when the schedule gets challenging.
7. Halls (1-2) - Just not a lot of talent here, outside of the QB position. Should win no more than 2-3 games.
8. Campbell County (1-2) - See Halls.
9. Clinton (0-3) - This team is in trouble, and I'm not sure when/if things are going to get better this season. QB injury has hurt the Dragons, so it will be interesting to see how things change when he comes back. Best chance for a win will come against Campbell County.

Other teams to watch out for in 5A (early title contenders):

• Morristown West
• Knox West
• Knox Catholic
• Ooltewah
• Tullahoma
• Columbia
• Henry County
• Ridgeway

College Football - Week 1 Recap

First Impressions

• Anyone who thought that Ohio State wouldn't contend for a Big Ten title this season better reevaluate. I said it all summer - this defense will be very good, and if the QBs can make good decisions (like they did against Akron), the Buckeyes can make a BCS bowl game. Akron isn't a very good team, but the Buckeyes looked better than I thought they would on Saturday.
• Tennessee has some issues to work out (specifically up front), but Tyler Bray looked very good for most of the night against Montana. If UT can solve some blocking issues, this will be a very potent offense. The defense still looks young, and it will be interesting to see how they handle Cincinnati's offense next week.
• Michigan's defense still has a LONG way to go. It will be very interesting to see what Denard Robinson's roll will be when trailing or in close games this year. Western Michigan went toe to toe with the Wolverines, and it would have been an interesting finish (would not have called the game early if closer), if not for those 2 defensive TDs by UM.
• Notre Dame = overrated (as usual), yet they still had plenty of opportunities to beat South Florida.
• Wisconsin looks even better than advertised on offense, but not so much on defense.
• Kentucky, Purdue, Washington, Pittsburgh, NC State, Kansas State, and Missouri really struggled against poor competition, and still won. Indiana, Duke, and Oregon State weren't so lucky.
• What happened to TCU and Auburn on defense??
• Boise State was never in trouble against Georgia. Too bad their national title hopes took a huge blow, thanks to TCU.
• Has Cincinnati regained their Brian Kelly-esque offensive form? They'll have to put up big numbers against Tennessee before I'll jump on that bandwagon.
• It's going to be an up and down year for USC. Again.
• Oregon has yet to beat a non-conference power that has a good defensive under Chip Kelly (Boise State, Ohio State, LSU, Auburn - struggled to score against each), and that's not a coincidence.