THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
QUOTE OF THE DAY
PAGE 7
"The heartbeat of a football team is the quarterback position, and I think everyone who has any intelligence about the game understands you must have consistency at that position to be a championship team."
— NFL Analyst Ron Jaworski,
  Source : ESPN
FACT OF THE DAY
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The Seattle Seahawks have selected a defensive player with five of their last seven first round draft picks.
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TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: When was the last time the Cleveland Browns made the NFL playoffs?
A: 2003-2004 season. They lost to the Steelers in the wildcard game.
THE MORNING BREW Predicting the future: What's in store for the NFL?
A few weeks ago, I threw out some "bold" predictions for college football, and so far, they are still holding true.
West Virginia is still capable of winning the Big 12, DeAnthony Thomas has seven touchdowns through four games and Florida State is 4-0 and passed their biggest test on their schedule in the Clemson Tigers. I do understand though that we are just four weeks into the season, so I won't brag too much.
After three weeks of NFL football, I think we have seen enough to make a few predictions as well. You could call this cheating a bit because I got a trial run before I made the bold predictions, and that's fine. I'll just be more outlandish to make up for it. Here are my BOLD predictions for the 2012 NFL season:
THE CLEVELAND BROWNS WILL
WIN JUST ONE GAME THIS
SEASON.
The fact is, the Browns just aren't good. Their best player, running back Trent Richardson, runs behind a miserable offensive line. Combine that with a poor passing game, and the Browns won't score enough points to win any games.
Their schedule is absolutely brutal, as well, and you can't read it and find a game where you think a win is plausible. I'm being nice, giving them their lone win. It's football, and anything can happen on any given Sunday. But one thing that will happen most of those Sunday's is a Browns' loss.
I know, no one cares about the Seattle Seahawks, but I do. Pete Carroll has quietly built one of the best defenses in the NFC. Seattle's first loss was to undefeated Arizona, and they had a chance to win it at the end. The following
THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS WILL
WIN THE NFC WEST.
week, Seattle easily handled a 2-1 Dallas team with a 27-7 victory. The schedule is more than formidable to keep the Seahawks in the divisional race. I think Arizona will cool down because they're been very dependent on turnovers so far this year, and San Francisco has been less than impressive this season, as well. If Seattle can find a way to score some points, this team could be the surprise of the NFL.
THE ATLANTA FALCONS WILL BEAT THE BALTIMORE RAVENS
TO WIN THE SUPER
Successful NFL teams have two things. The first is great coaching. During crunch time, it takes a guy who can keep things organized and make the big time calls. The second is excellent quarterback play. This
doesn't mean you have to be Aaron Rodgers and throw it 40 times a game. It just takes a quarterback that will make the throws when the game is on the line. Sorry Kansas City, but both requirements eliminate the Chiefs.
Baltimore and Atlanta are two of the most balanced teams in football, and both have been making their way to the top of the league in the past few seasons. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are quarterbacks capable of making the big throw in the big moment, and each team also boasts a
top-tier defense and a clear discipline that is product of their coaching. Consistency is the key, and I think that its what drives these teams to the final game.
We'll see if these last as long as the other ones do. I'm no expert, but picking crazy things is pretty fun. And shoot, if I get them right, I look pretty good. If I get them wrong, you don't have to read the Brew on Tuesdays anymore.
Edited by Andrew Ruszczyk
This week in athletics
Tuesday
Wednesday
Men's Golf
Mark Simpson Colorado
Invitational
All Day
Erie, Colo.
Women's Golf
Marilynn Smith Sunflower
Invitational
All Day
Lawrence
Softball
Independence Community
Kansas
5.00 p.m.
Lawrence
Thursday
women's Volleyball
Iowa State
6:30 p.m.
Lawrence
No events scheduled
Friday
Women's Swimming
Intrasquad
4 p.m.
Lawrence
Women's Soccer
Baylor
7:00 p.m.
Waco, Texas
Women's Rowing
Head of the Oklahoma
All Day
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Saturday
Cross Country
Rim Rock Classic
9:00 a.m.
Lawrence
Softball
Labette Community College
3:00 p.m.
Lawrence
Softball
Washburn
5:00 p.m.
Lawrence
Women's Rowing Head of the Oklahoma All Day Oklahoma City, Okla.
Sunday
Softball
Seminole State
Community College
10.00 a.m.
Lawrence
Softball
Butter Community College
12:00 p.m.
Lawrence
Women's Soccer
TCU
1:00 p.m.
Fort Worth, Texas
Women's Rowing
Head of the Oklahoma
All Day
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Monday
All-American Championships
All day
Lawrence
Women's Volleyball
FOOTBALL
Big 12 grabs attention with offensive play
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Newcomers West Virginia and FCU are fitting in nicely to the pass-crazy Big 12.
The Mountaineers' Geno Smith and the Horned Frogs' Casey Pachall have helped elevate the conference's stock of talented quarterbacks following the departures to the NFL of Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III of Baylor and Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden.
Smith is among the national leaders in passing yards and is tied for the FBS lead with 12 touchdown passes. Pachall leads in passing efficiency with six other Big 12 quarterbacks among the top 20.
said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. "So, it's going to be fun to watch this thing."
Last year the Big 12 had four 4000-yard passers. Despite the losses of Weeden, Griffin and Ryan Fannehill of now-former Big 12 member Texas A&M, "the Big 12 is just going through the roof again with offensive numbers"
Five of the top 10 scoring teams in the country are from the Big 12, so it helps to have a quarterback up to the challenge of a frenetic offensive pace.
West Virginia coach Dana Holgerson has prepared his team to fit in to a high-scoring conference yet said each Big 12 opponent will dictate what he does with his offense.
"We've got to get out there and put these guys in position to be successful, and hopefully you'll have more points than they do in the end," Holgorsen said.
That might be a lot on Saturday, when Smith and Griffin's successor, Nick Florence, go head-to-head when No. 9 West Virginia (3-0) makes its Big 12 debut at home against No. 25 Baylor (3-0).
"He's phenomenal," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "The guy he's been playing really, really strongly the last couple of years. He's why they are where they're at. He's a great leader, a great football player. He
seems really in control of what's going on on the football field, without question."
Smith thrust himself into the national conversation in West Virginia's Orange Bowl whipping of Clemson and hasn't stopped since. He's thrown for 1,072 yards and 12 TDs with no interceptions this season.
Florence has gotten up to speed on the Baylor starting job. Because he was Griffin's backup a year ago, Florence didn't throw a pass until late November.
He's coming off a 351-yard, four-TD performance in a comeback win over Louisiana-Monroe.
"His actions speak louder than my words." Briles said. "I think he's been exactly what we thought wed get out of him. He's been very, very productive. He's done exactly what he's been asked to do in his unselfish manner."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Despite Pachall's efficiency for No. 15 TCU, coach Gary Patterson believes he has some improving to do, pointing out his first interception of the season when Pachall tried to force a ball to Josh Boyce inside the Virginia 5 on Saturday.
Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein (7) throws as Oklahoma defensive end David King (90) works against Kansas State right tackle Tavon Rooks (73) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Norman, Okla., Saturday.
Pachall, who set school records for passing yards (2,921) and completions (228) as a sophomore last season, has kept up the pace this season and is the first Horned Frogs quarterback in 11 years with consecutive 300-yard passing games.
"I don't think we've come close to reaching our potential in the league that we're playing in. The guy with the ball last sometimes wins," Patterson said. "He's got to do a better of understanding what we've got to do. It's not about yards. It's not about touchdowns. It's about finding ways to win ball games, and you've got to throw the ball away."
Let's not forget about Big 12 veterans like Texas Tech's Seth Doege, Iowa State's Steele Jantz, Kansas State's Collin Klein, Oklahoma's Landry Jones and Texas' David Ash.
Ash will be challenged Saturday to match the production of Oklahoma State, which leads the nation at 62 points per game. Ash got his first start as a freshman last
year in a loss to the Cowboys.
Gundy must decide whether freshman Wes Lunt will return from injury or backup J.W. Walsh will get his first start. Walsh led the Cowboys to a school-record 742 yards of total offense in a win against Louisiana-Lafayette. Lunt set a Big 12 freshman record with 436 passing yards in an earlier loss at Arizona.
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