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Last year, the AFC South was arguably the toughest division in all of football.  It was the only division with three 10 win teams.  The Colts, Jaguars, and Titans all made the playoffs from this division, and the Texans also had a solid 8-8 season.  Heading into this season, who looks to top the division?  Will the Colts win the division for a sixth straight year?  Will the Jaguars live up to the hype and take it?  Will Tennessee improve to take it?  Could the Texans sneak in and take it?  Here's what I think will happen from this division.

4th, Houston Texans
The Texans have a young defense which looks be a very tough force in the future.  Young stars like Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, and DeMeco Ryans look to anchor the Houston D for a long time.  This years' D still has some questions, especially in what appears to be a pretty flawed secondary.  Can Fred Bennett be a #1 corner?  How good is Jacques Reeves?

Offense is the teams biggest concern.  They have an average at best offensive line, as well as no real running game.  The often injured Ahman Green and Chris Brown are their choices.  Yikes.  And while Andre Johnson is great, they don't have any other offensive weapons to ultilize. 

They also have a very tough schedule to start.  The first five games are @ Pittsburgh, Baltimore, @ Tennessee, @ Jacksonville, and Indy.  It would be a success to go 2-3 through that stretch.  And while they do have the Bears, Lions, and Dolphins, the rest of the games are either close or against them.  I can't see this team getting to .500.  I say they go 6-10.

3rd, Tennessee Titans
Defense once again is the key to the Titans success.  Last year, they had a very good defense, and this years' isn't a whole of a lot difference.  They lost a few pass rushers, but they did re-sign Jevon Kearse.  The question is about Headstompin' Haynesworth's health.  When he was injured last year, the D seemed to go with him.  His rookie year was the only one where he played all 16 games, and he's gotten in trouble for shenanigans as well.

The offense was pretty awful last year, and this year doesn't look to be too much improved.  They lost both starting guards, and Kevin Mawae is getting pretty old.  They still have nothing at wide receiver, and an over-the-hill Alge Crumpler won't make too much of an impact.  Vince Young also showed little improvement.  They will need LenDale White and rookie Chris Johnson to run the ball very well to have any offensive success.

They luck out in the fact that most of their toughest non-division opponents have to come Tennessee.  Minnesota, Green Bay, the Jets, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland are all home games for the Titans, which makes beating them a much easier task.  With that said, I see them still being no more than a borderline playoff team.  My prediction: 9-7.

2nd, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars return most of the same group defensively.  They did lose Marcus Stroud and Sammy Knight, however they played half of the season minus Stroud without issue.  The addition of Drayton Florence strengthens the secondary, and allows former corner Brian Williams to move to safety where I think he'll be successful.

The offense has been the Fred and Maurice show for the Jaguars. Behind a solid offensive line, they've been great at running the ball. However, Taylor is now 32, an age where many running backs hit a big decline.  If that happens, what happens to this offense?  How efficient can David Garrard be if that running game isn't 100%?  They still have jack squat for receivers.  (And you're kidding yourself if you really think Jerry Porter is the answer)

Like Tennessee, they do get some of their tougher opponants at home.  Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Green Bay, and Cleveland each have to come to Jacksonville.  Looking at it, there doesn't seem like many losses for them.  With their talent and schedule, it certainly isn't unrealistic to say they have a very good shot at the division.  However, I think they fall short, but make the playoffs at 12-4.

1st, Indianapolis Colts
Defensively, this team really hasn't changed.  Health will be the concern for this team as a whole, as they're dinged up.  Defensively, with Dwight Freeney returning, they've got a strong front seven with the likes of himself, Ed Johnson, Robert Mathis, and Gary Brackett.  However, the outside linebackers still have questions.  The secondary is very strong, provided that Bob Sanders stays healthy.

Offensively, once again health is the concern.  How healthy is Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison?  Center Jeff Saturday is banged up, but they still have a strong offensive line.  They have a good running game with Addai, and a strong receiver group with Wayne and Clark.  If they are healthy, there is no reason for them not to remain one of the leagues' best offenses.

The schedule for the Colts is brutal.  They play road games against Minnesota, Green Bay, San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland.  Not to mention, the annual matchup against against the Patriots, even in Indy, isn't an easy task.  This team at full strength really might be the best Colt team they've had in all of these strong years.  I think the schedule will hurt, but I believe they finish 12-4 like the Jaguars, and win the division on a tiebreaker.

Well, that's what I foresee in the AFC South.  What do you think?

FanIQ Prediction System

Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Houston Texans

Everyone's favorite female tennis player Ana Ivanovic has been eliminated from the US Open today by the188th-ranked player Julie Coin, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Never before in the Open era has the #1 women's seed has been knocked out of the in the second round.

Clearly this is a blow to women's tennis fans like all of us here on FanIQ are. So I guess this means that we can go back to ignoring women's tennis until the next Major tournament.

And just because...

The big games kickoff Saturday, but that doesn't matter, there's real actual football tonight. Considering I watched an entire high school football game on TV last weekend, I'd say I'm ready.

Football provides a nice change of baseball, where losses are quickly pushed aside, because there's always another game tomorrow. These count and count big.

Here's the games of note. Make sure to get your pick' em entries in. You can just follow the links below to make your predictions.

Vanderbilt at Miami U. (7:30 ESPNU) -- 62% picking Commodores
North Carolina State at South Carolina (8 ESPN) -- 94% picking Gamecocks
#23 Wake Forest at Baylor (8 FSN) -- 92% picking Demon Deacons
Stanford at Oregon State (9 ESPN2) -- 85% picking Beavers

I think we know who Jon Wilner is taking tonight. His love affair with South Carolina begins anew. Also of note, is Ryan Perrilloux restarting his career with Jacksonville State who pays a visit to the brand new Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. That's worth keeping an eye on.

As for me, my focus is on my beloved Redhawks and their first meeting at home with an SEC opponent.

Enjoy the games, and finally, let's talk some live college football right here.

All right everyone, get your predictions in for tonight's slate of totally not interesting at all college football games. If tonight we sometime in mid-season, we'd all be complaining about what an awful night of football this is. But instead, because we're kicking of the season, it's awesome.

Today's blog goodness

1. What are the games that will best define this college football season?
2. Who's going to win this year's college football awards?
3. In preparation for tonight's games, here are some highlights from last year.
4. Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have started a new action-packed feud in NASCAR.
5. Michael Phelps will host SNL. A look back at how other athletes did on the show.

Today's FanIQ site goodness

1. You've got one more hour to get your college football picks in this week for the FanIQ plasma screen TV contest. Hurry!
2. Don't forget the NFL picks either.
3. And because the college football season starts tonight, how about a college football quiz?

Tonight's TV goodness

Here's tonight's college football schedule, complete with announcers, courtesy of Awful Announcing.

Vanderbilt @ Miami- OH (ESPNU, 7:30pm)- Mike Gleason, John Congemi, Melissa Knowles
Troy @ Middle Tennessee (ESPN Plus, 7:30pm)- Sam Smith, Doug Graber
Hofstra @ Connecticut (ESPN Plus, 7:30pm)- Bob Picozzi, Jim Donnan
North Carolina State @ South Carolina (ESPN, 8pm)- Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, Craig James, Erin Andrews
Wake Forest @ Baylor (FSN, 8pm)- Bill Land, Gary Reasons, Emily Jones
South Dakota State @ Iowa State (FCS Central, 8pm)- Dan McLaughlin, Richard Baldinger
Oregon State @ Stanford (ESPN2, 9pm)- Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham, Jack Arute

And here's what else is on.

Major League Baseball: Philadelphia at Chicago Cubs (WGN, 8 p.m.)
NFL: Preseason, Jacksonville at Washington (NBC, 7 p.m.)
Tennis: U.S. Open, men's and women's second round, at New York (USA, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.)

Many of us remember the famous Mike Gundy rant. It was all over the place in the weeks following it, and was even spoofed on multiple occasions. Although the consensus was that he had gone a little overboard, many people were impressed with the way Gundy was willing to stand up for one of his players. But surprisingly, that player took it very differently. For those of you who don't, here's a little reminder.



Bobby Reid was the player in question. The rant was a reaction to Jennifer Carlson's article in the Oklahoman, which questioned Gundy's faith in Reid. While Gundy said nothing but good things about his young QB's character, Reid did not see it that way. After being benched in favor of Zac Robinson, Reid rarely saw the field. When Gundy said "here's all that kid did. He goes to class. He's respectful to the media! He's respectful to the public! And he's a good kid. And he's not a professional athlete and he doesn't deserve to be kicked when he's down," Reid apparently thought Gundy made some sort of reference to Reid's performance on the football field. In all reality, it had nothing to do with that. Zac Robinson was the more productive QB, so Zac Robinson was the one on the field, taking the majority of the snaps.

Reid is now saying that the rant was "offensive," and that it "was all a front, that it was all a big show. It didn't feel genuine."

In hindsight, maybe he's right. Maybe Reid DIDN'T do everything right. Maybe when he was whining and trying to quit the team because someone outplayed him, he WASN'T showing the qualities that Gundy had praised him for. Maybe he WASN'T the high-caliber person that Gundy thought he was.

It's obvious that Bobby Reid is just another spoiled young athlete with a sense of entitlement, without a real grasp on reality. Perhaps he thinks that he is owed something by Oklahoma State. Perhaps he thinks that even though Robinson had arguably the best statistical season in school history, Gundy should have put Reid in the game instead, in order to massage his bruised ego.

 Whatever the case may be, I'm not going to come after Mike Gundy on this one. Gundy may be a man, he may be 40, but he's not in the wrong on this one, and never was.