By John Sarianides Western Michigan was the surprise mid-major last season going 12-0 and getting to the Cotton Bowl before losing to Wisconsin.  So, who will be this year’s surprise mid-major program? Here are five teams that could end up in the New Year’s Six. 1. Wyoming Cowboys: The Cowboys are seemingly everyone’s sleeper mid-major team it seems. Why not? Head coach Craig Bohl has coached at Nebraska and he built…

By John Sarianides The 2017 season has already kicked off but it kicks off in earnest this weekend. That begs the question. Who are the top Heisman Trophy contenders?  There are several players to watch this season. Here is my list by position. Quarterbacks  Lamar Jackson, Louisville: The reigning Heisman Trophy winner has a good chance to be the first repeat winner since Ohio State running back Archie Griffin in…

By John Sarianides The Patriots found out this morning that wide receiver Julien Edelman is indeed done for the season with a torn ACL. So, how do the Patriots replace so much production? Here are three ways. 1. Use 20 Personnel More: 20 personnel in football is two running backs and three wide receivers. By using 20 personnel more, the Patriots could get James White and Dion Lewis in the…

By John Sarianides Game Rewind: After going up 24-0 in the first half, the Patriots rallied to beat the Lions 30-28 on a last second field goal. Of course, the story of the night is the injury suffered by Julien Edelman.  Here are five thoughts from last night’s game. 1. Edelman Injury: The Patriots fear that Julian Edelman may have a torn ACL could be confirmed today after the star…

By John Sarianides The Patriots will be playing their third pre-season game tonight when they travel to Detroit to battle the Lions. The third pre-season game is traditionally the game in which the starters play the most. Expect to see the starters play at least a half tonight. Here are three things to watch for in tonight’s pre-season game.  1. How Long Will the Starters Play? I asked the same…

The Patriots don’t need six people working their pre-season coverage. It’s absurd!  By John Sarianides Here are five things that are really pissing me off right now in the world of football. 1. The Patriots Pre-Season Broadcast Annoys Me: Do the Patriots really need to have six people involved in their pre-season broadcast? Isn’t Dan Roche and Christian Fauria enough?  Why is Matt Chatham a part of the broadcast? Seriously. He…

By John Sarianides The title of this piece may just be the overstatement of the year but I am going with it anyways. Losing rookie defensive end/outside linebacker Derek Rivers could indeed be a crushing blow for the Patriots this season.  The Patriots were counting on the young pass rusher to replace the recently retired Rob Ninkovich. Bill Belichick knew  Ninkovich might retire prior to the start of the season…

Featured image courtesy of Kevin Jaira/USA Today Sports.  By John Sarianides Game Rewind: The Patriots lost 27-23 to the Texans last night. The starters all played for a quarter plus, including Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski who played in his first pre-season game since 2012. Here are my thoughts on this game. 1. Brady: Brady made his 2017 debut completing 6 of 9 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown…

By John Sarianides Storyline: After a week of practicing against the Texans in West Virginia, the two teams will play their second pre-season game tonight. The Patriots lost 31-24 to the Jags last week while the Texans lost their pre-season opener to the Panthers 27-17.  Here are three things to watch for tonight. 1. How Much Will Brady Play? Tom Brady did not play last week so the expectation is…

By John Sarianides Big time college football is a big time business, particularly in conferences like the SEC, Big Ten and the Pac-12. The expectations are high from both administrators and the fans.  Coaches have much shorter leashes these days. If you are not winning a minimum of eight games a season, the buzzards start circling around you. Here are five coaches who must meet expectations or they could be…