By John Sarianides Scouting Report: The Eagles open the 2017 season the road tonight as they travel to DeKalb, Illinois to battle the Northern Illinois Huskies. Northern Illinois got off to a slow start in 2016 last season. The Huskies started the season 1-6 but managed to bounce back and finish 5-7.  The Huskies are breaking in a new quarterback but they return several key starters from a defense that spearheaded…

By John Sarianides The Patriots host the Giants in the final pre-season game of the season. The Patriots beat the Lions 30-28 on a last second field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. The Giants beat the Jets 32-31 last week for their first pre-season win of the season.  Here are three things we are watching for tonight. 1. Who Are the Bubble Guys? Tonight is about the guys on the bottom…

By John Sarianides With the 2017 season kicking off tonight, here is my pre-season top 25. 1. Alabama Crimson Tide: An experienced offense makes the Tide the pre-season favorite to get back to the national title game. 2. Ohio State Buckeyes: J.T Barrett and a talented defense makes the Buckeyes a favorite to make the college football playoff once again.  3. Florida State Seminoles: The Noles return a bevy of…

By John Sarianides Each and every year, there is one program in each conference that surprises people and exceeds expectations. Here is one team in each conference that could surprise in 2017. America East SMU Mustangs: Chad Morris is one of the best recruiters in Texas. He is re-stocking the roster with some talented players. SMU won’t make it to a bowl game this season but a five win season…

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…