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| Author: | lw789 [ Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:58 am ] |
| Post subject: | is almost always thin with impact |
The early-season schedule is almost always thin with impact matchups before conference play but fans have lucked out with at least one marquee game per week so far this year. Clemson topped Georgia to open the season before the Bulldogs evened their record against South Carolina - and Michigan downed Notre Dame - in Week 2. Week 3s headliner trumps all of that; the pre-season pick for Game of the Year. No. 1 Alabama plays host to Heisman winner Johnny Manziel and No. 7 Texas A&M. The game is of course a rematch of last years mid-October affair in which A&M upset the Crimson Tide, ranked first in the nation at the time. Alabama of course went on to reclaim the top spot before the year was out and win the BCS Championship, but theyll still be looking to avenge their only loss come Saturday. The key matchup will be between two Heisman candidates in Manziel and AJ McCarron who have similar stats through the first two weeks of the season. If either has a big game theyll likely vault to the top of the Heisman Watch list ahead of Week 4. Its not fair to say A&M surprised anybody last year, but Bama will be extra ready for them this time around and should take the win and retain their top spot in the rankings. As mentioned earlier, the weeks schedule is rather thin but there is one more intriguing matchup as No. 18 UCLA takes on No. 22 Nebraska. The Bruins returned to prominence under former NFL head coach Jim Mora last year and their early season win over Nebraska was what first put them back on the map. Another win would cement the teams status as a top 20 contender. Nebraska won big last week against Southern Miss but looked a little soft in their season opener against Wyoming. Under Bo Pelini, the Huskers have struggled to play big in big games, so expect UCLA to continue their ascent with a win here. Action on TSN2 - No. 9 Louisville at Kentucky and Tennessee at No. 2 Oregon Its a double header on TSN2 starting at noon et. First, get a look at the early frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and potential first overall draft pick Teddy Bridgewater and his No. 9 Louisville Cardinals take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Then check out the post Chip Kelly Oregon Ducks - theyve looked just as explosive on offence, take on the Tennessee Volunteers, fresh off a big win over Bobby Petrino - remember him? - and the Western Kentucky Hilltopers. . Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults. .ca! There is plenty of blame to be shared as a result of the most recent NHL player (Pittsburghs Brooks Orpik) to be evacuated from the ice on a stretcher following an ugly incident Saturday night in Boston. http://www.cheapbluejacketsjerseysauthentic.com/. The 19-year-old from Westmount, Que., was edged 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3 by third-seeded Alize Cornet of France. Cornet broke Bouchard twice in the last set and saved six break points in the three-hour match. . "I dont know where we would be without him," McClendon said. "Hes done a tremendous job for us and (Wednesday) was no different." Logan Morrison drove in two runs in Seattles big sixth inning, Young pitched seven strong innings and the Mariners beat the Houston Astros 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep. . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play.Through the 1980s, fueled primarily by booming property prices, a wealth creation culture permeated through English society and politics. Harry Enfield, that eras Ricky Gervais, was on high parody notice. Enfields response was creating the highly reprehensible character, Loadsamoney. Such was the rip roaring response a hit song of the same name was spawned. The cult classic going on to top the pop charts in 1988. Paradoxically, English soccer was on its knees and in the direst of financial shapes. Half empty stadiums, at best running the gauntlet of heightened hooliganism, had become the order of the day. No financial relief could be found on the continent as an indefinite Euro wide ban had been imposed by the governing body on English clubs. The transfer market was almost non-existent save for the highest calibre players. Such was the lack of funds for stadium renewal an Arsenal friend of mine cleverly quipped following Chris Waddless 1989 multi-million £ move from Spurs to Marseilles, if Spurs would now have enough cash to purchase toilet paper for the mens washrooms at White Hart Lane. Dire indeed. Fast forward 25 years and a London tabloid reported Thursday Tottenham was on the block. Purchase price? Loadsamoney. A rather cool £1billion [$1.75b] to be exact. The game changing Premier League, which began play in the 1992/93 season has been the greatest influencer of this extraordinary turn around in English club fortunes both on and off the pitch. With the brand new domestic and global broadcast deal which will net the BPL a record £5.5billion over its three-year lifetime - it is no coincidence we just witnessed a record transfer window. As Canadians vacationed this summer, the BPL Twenty invested a staggering £850m [$1.5b] combined in upgrading their playing squads. To put this into a clearer context, this total surpasses the combined spending of the next big four European Leagues - La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. No surprising the market leaders were Manchester United, who broke the UK transfer record in bringing Di Maria in from the Barnebeau cold. Only time will tell if this ‘spending your way out of mid table trouble philosophy will return Englands biggest club to former glories. I have my immense doubts good ship MUFC will sail in more calmer and familiar football waters this season. This has nothing to do with their winless start to date – a spineless scoreless draw against Burnley last time out over Labor Day weekend hardly the stuff of legend. A sprinkle of stardust lustre doesnt maketh a team spine; something the inmates of Old Trafford sorely lacked last season. Ironically the £59.7 invested in last springs Champions League Final MVP who made hiss debut at Turf Moor is well in excess of the total Burnley have invested in players during its entire 132-year history of £45m [$80m].dddddddddddd Coincidentally that figure represents the price Manchester United has struck with AS Monaco to make Falcaos move from the principality to the bosom of English soccer a permanent one. Not done with smashing to pieces the budget, LVG will throw more money at the market when it reopens on New Years Day. At least comfort can be found for the Glazers in the fact they wont have to concern themselves with whether or not the players in question are cup tied for the knock out stages of the Champions League. Liverpool, who had led the rivals in the spending stakes until Di Marias late August arrival, were this seasons Tottenham, who garnered anything but success with their re-investment of the world record fee they received for Gareth Bale. After wrangling £75m [$130m] out of Barcelona for little Luis, they immediately spent those funds. Which if nothing else is clear indication the Nou Camp move was long planned. Not merely a reaction to Suarez leaving his trade mark personal imprint on Giorgio Chiellinis shoulder blade. Table toppers Chelsea, who entertain a perfect Swansea in south west London tomorrow morning, make out the BPL drunken sailor podium -Roman getting his wallet out early and often. My how I wished I was sharing a pint with Arsene when it was announced serial Emirates terminator and tormentor Didier Drogba had made a triumphant return to the Bridge. As for Arsenal themselves, such was the summertime irrational exuberance they managed to nudge tomorrow mornings breakfast opponents, and current BPL Champions Manchester City into fifth place. Well all aware courtesy of the splendid Soccernomics tome from the exceedingly lucid Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski there is no correlation, direct or otherwise between transfer prices and winning titles. Salaries budgets though be a significant indicator. No coincidence silverware success alluded Arsenal for close to a decade and more for their North London cousins. The book then must have formed part of Manchester Uniteds vice chair, Ed Woodwards summer reading list. How on earth else can we account for reports earlier this week the club is about to offer Christiano £300,000 or close to $550,000 a week every week for three years. Oh my! Is jolly olde England about to lay witness to world footballs very first £100 million man? Well past time then to make Alan Greenspan BPL Commissioner. Double Header BPL action live on the TSN Radio Network Saturday - Chelsea v Swansea 10:00am et / 6:00ampt and Liverpool v Aston Villa 12:30pm et / 9:30am pt Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter ' ' ' |
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