Ryder Cup Recap

You could call it the "Miracle at Medinah" or the "Colossal Collapse in Chicago." Either title would be accurate to describe the Ryder Cup this past weekend. Here's my take:

As Greg and I mentioned during our preview, the 2012 Ryder Cup arguably featured the best field ever assembled at the event. It was the first time that every competitor was in the top 35 in the world rankings, and many were top 20 and top 10 players. The level of play was high most of the time and the skill level rang through.

The US team was the deeper team and it showed the first couple of days. In the team competitions, the US allowed each member of the team to play an equal amount, yet they amassed a 10-6 lead heading into singles. This meant everyone was physically fresh, familiar with the course, and their nerves were at ease.

Highlights for me included watching Keegan Bradley dominate Friday and Saturday. The kid was phenominal. He rejuvenated Phil and the Americans. He putted so well and hit it even better. Also, Bubba Watson was hilarious. He got the crowd yelling and screaming while he hit off #1. I've never seen anything like it. He also had the best line when he yelled, "They call me Mr. Fairway." I want that t-shirt! The last highlight was the par 3's. Most were long and over water. That made for some incredible match play drama. Especially on the tough alternate-shot format.

There were some question marks over the first couple of days for me though. First, why did Europe pull their big guns on Friday afternoon? Donald, Garcia, and Poulter all sat and the US won that session 3-1. Donald and Garcia did lose that morning, but they have such great records historically in the Ryder Cup. Poulter is the heart and soul of the squad, and he should never sit. That made no sense at all. I'd rather have him out there than Rory. Anyways, that session put them behind the 8-ball.

For the US, why did Tiger and Stricker get sent out Friday afternoon after sucking in the morning? Dufner and Johnson should have stayed in the lineup seeing as they won. Tiger and Stricker was the only loss Friday afternoon. Secondly, why did Phil and Keegan sit Saturday afternoon? They were the best team in the Ryder Cup, won quickly in the morning, and should have stayed in there for sure. It was a 2-2 tie that afternoon, which turned out to be costly.

The momentum truly did start to shift towards Europe on Saturday afternoon. After two quick wins in that session, the US had mounted a 10-4 lead and still had a chance in the last matches. Wins or halves would have been important, yet Europe closed them out by making putts on 18 and watching the US players miss their putts. 18 killed the Americans all weekend, and it started here. So instead of being up 12-4 or 11-5 or something, it was only 10-6 heading into singles.

Europe dominated singles today and played WAY better on the closing holes. Europe won 17 and 18 in nearly every match. The US did some major choking! So many matches should have been different in my opinion. There were "locks" out there that went the opposite way. Unlike days 1 and 2, the Euros made all the putts and the Americans didn't.

The strategies were different for Sunday and it proved big for the Europeans. They sent their big guns out early in the day hoping to quiet the crowd and gain momentum. They basically all won. Then, they got some unexpected performances from guys who struggled earlier in the event. These guys were Westwood, Molinari, Kaymer, Lawrie, etc. They also dominated the late holes, as I mentioned already.

The Americans sent out their young, exciting players first. This backfired as most lost. The "experienced" guys stunk at the end of the lineup as none could make putts. They have those "old nerves."Plus, instead of playing free and loose like they did on Friday and Saturday, they played not to lose and very tight.

I will also give some credit to Europe. They made tons of putts and made some great approach shots too. Poulter was clutch and Rose was insane. Justin Rose was outplayed and should have lost, yet three unreal putts got him the outright win against Phil. Phil played well but lost. That was the type of effort all the Europeans produced.

So now comes the blame game. Yes, I blame David Love III some. He didn't get the team ready for Sunday. I hated our Sunday matchups in the first place too. We needed some winners at start of the lineup. I hated how he kept Tiger/Stricker in there on Friday afternoon, and how he pulled Phil/Keegan on Saturday afternoon. Those moves cost us points. In hindsight, he made one major mistake when picking one captain's pick.

But I blame some players even more. The veteran Stricker was the worst captain's pick ever. He was 0-4. He is known for putting but he didn't make a thing all weekend. And Steve lost the match that clinched it for Europe on Sunday. He played 17 and 18 very badly.

And I blame Tiger Woods too. He was 0-3-1. If the Cup wasn't decided, he likely would have won his singles instead of halving it, but he was terrible as a whole. He needed to be more of a vocal leader like Phil, and step up to the plate in team competitions. I know he was paired with sucky Stricker, but not winning was shocking. If he wins one of those matches, the US wins!

So all in all I was shocked the whole weekend. I was shocked that USA made it look easy for most of Friday and Saturday, then I was even more shocked that the Europeans dominated singles and came back to win. That's our best event and we had the crowd behind us. #Disbelief

It sucks we have to wait two years to get revenge, but that's how it goes. Enjoy the golf offseason!

Andrew

College Football Saturday

Last week was uneventful compared to the first few weeks of the season. We didn’t see many upsets outside of Oklahoma going down. But that really wasn't an upset, and Greg called it. In fact, Greg predicted all five of our marquee matchups correctly. Andrew tried to be different on two games but missed them both.

This week could be a little different. In fact, last night we already saw #8 Stanford go down to Washington. That's the sort of football we like to watch... riveting, unpredictable, and down to the wire. Anyways, here is our take on six of the best games in college football this Saturday:

Tennessee at (5) Georgia

Great matchup. Up until Florida's beatdown of Tennessee, the Vols were poised to challenge for the SEC East crown. Georgia seems to be (other than the “pro team” in Tuscaloosa) the most balanced team in the SEC right now. They have a balanced offense, led by a good QB. They also boast a good defense anchored by great line play, plus good special teams.  Tennessee is a good team, but will have their work cut out for them. This game will come down to how well Georgia handles the pressure of being in the top 5 for the first time all season. The fact that this is not a 'primetime' night game will help, and I think the Bulldogs pull this one out. - Greg

Georgia is a big time team without the big time name on the jersey. On the flip side, Tennessee is a big time name pretending to be a big time team. The bottom line here is that Georgia is the better team playing at home, and it won’t be that close of a contest. - Andrew

Greg:               Georgia 27, Tennessee 14

Andrew:         Georgia 34, Tennessee 17

(25) Baylor at (9) West Virginia

The scoreboard might break during this game for both teams have really high-powered offenses. West Virginia will present slightly more of a challenge to Baylor this week than Louisiana-Monroe did last week. Geno Smith is a legitimate Heisman contender, and Tavon Austin may just be the best receiver in the country not attending USC (though Stanford's Ty Montgomery may have something to say about that). Simply because this game is in Morgantown, I give the nod to West Virginia. They seem to be more than just another spread offense team this year. - Greg

Now that RGIII is playing in Washington, the best QB in this matchup is on WVU. Geno Smith is my choice right now for the Heisman, and his team is playing some great football. I think West Virginia would win this game no matter where they played it. The offense is too much for Baylor to handle. It may stay close for a while, but WVU will pull away to victory. - Andrew

Greg:               West Virginia 48, Baylor 32

Andrew:         West Virginia 48, Baylor 28

(12) Texas at Oklahoma State

I smell an upset here. The Horns are still young, and even though they're playing better this year I can still see them stumbling a few times. I think this is one of them. OK State has been a really tough matchup over the last few years, and even though Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon are no longer in Stillwater, I think the Cowboys wrangle the Longhorns one more time before the Longhorns catch up to them. - Greg

I think this could be one of the best games on Saturday by far. I think it will be close throughout, and may come down to a last minute play. My guy tells me that an upset may happen, but I’m sticking with chalk. Texas will make just enough plays to pull out a tight one. - Andrew

Greg:               Oklahoma State 40, Texas 35

Andrew:         Texas 31, Oklahoma State 28

(14) Ohio State at (20) Michigan State

The real question in this game is not who will win, but will there be any points scored. These are two anemic offenses that will struggle mightily against good defenses. Sparty's last home game against a top 20 opponent didn't go so well (See ND's 20-3 stomping of the Spartans), and I don't think this one goes much better, though the scoreboard might look a little kinder. - Greg

Neither team has played as well as they would have liked this year. But both are still very capable teams with good defenses. Because the teams are so evenly matched, I am picking based on coaching. And there aren’t many I trust more than Urban Meyer. - Andrew

Greg:               Ohio State 10, Michigan State 6

Andrew:         Ohio State 20, Michigan State 14

(18) Oregon State at Arizona

This is probably the game of the week in my book. Oregon State gets a chance to go on the road for the first time and validate their ranking. Arizona on the other hand gets a chance to do some damage against a team from Oregon after being humiliated last week by another. This seems like the classic "trap game" to me and I think the circumstances stack up against Oregon State. Nonetheless, I still think this team is talented enough to overcome that. - Greg

Arizona got flat out embarrassed last week against a dynamic Oregon team. Oregon State is very good too, but not near as explosive as the Ducks. Plus, Arizona is at home here and are bound to play better. If I’m picking an upset this week, I’ll put my money on the Wildcats. - Andrew

Greg:               Oregon State 31, Arizona 28

Andrew:         Arizona 30, Oregon State 24

Wisconsin at (22) Nebraska

I expect the Cornhuskers' black-shirt defense to shine in this game against the offensively challenged Badgers. Montee Ball has really struggled this year so far and is coming off of a game he left with an injury. Because Taylor Martinez doesn't pass the ball with great effectiveness, this game will be closer than it should me.  Nebraska takes it in Lincoln. - Greg

What a difference a few weeks can make. At the start of the season, most would have expected this to be a matchup of top ten teams with a possible conference title on the line. Now most won’t care and won’t watch due to the inevitable ugliness of it. Nebraska has struggled without Russell Wilson here. Nebraska hasn’t lit it up either though. With that said, I think this will be a battle that may come down to the wire. Home team gets the edge. - Andrew

Greg:               Nebraska 24, Wisconsin 12

Andrew:         Nebraska 21, Wisconsin 17

By: The Sports Guys

NFL Picks - Week 4

Man was week 3 crazy! It was upset city across the NFL. Because of that, our picks stunk. For the second week in a row, the Sports Guys picked below .500. Here are the updated standings:

Andrew - 215 Points (23-25)              Greg - 195 Points (21-27)

Evan Atkinson - 127 Points (17-15) - Winner of Week 3

Week 4 features some good games, but I don’t expect to see near as many upsets or controversial finishes. In fact, I view many of the games this week as near locks. There is, however, a huge divisional clash between the Giants and Eagles, and a Monday Night game that could be epic (Bears vs. Cowboys).

Below are our picks and confidence points. Play along once again in the comment section:

Greg’s Picks

15       Baltimore over Cleveland

14       Houston over Tennessee

13       Atlanta over Carolina

12       San Francisco over NYJ

11       New England over Buffalo 

10       Arizona over Miami

9          Green Bay over New Orleans

8          San Diego over Kansas City

7          Cincinnati over Jacksonville 

6          Denver over Oakland

5          Seattle over St. Louis

4          Minnesota over Detroit

3          Tampa Bay over Washington

2          Philadelphia over NYG

1          Chicago over Dallas

Andrew’s Picks

15       Baltimore over Cleveland

14       Houston over Tennessee

13       Atlanta over Carolina

12       Arizona over Miami

11       Cincinnati over Jacksonville

10       Green Bay over New Orleans

9          Detroit over Minnesota

8          Denver over Oakland

7          San Francisco over NYJ

6          New England over Buffalo

5          NYG over Philadelphia

4          Dallas over Chicago

3          Kansas City over San Diego

2          Tampa Bay over Washington

1          St. Louis over Seattle

Enjoy week 4!

The Sports Guys

Ryder Cup Preview

Ryder Cup week is finally here. It has been an amazing season, and all of the big names will be playing in this event. Personally, the Ryder Cup is my favorite event in golf along with the majors. I love our beloved players from the United States taking on their archrivals from Europe. There is more passion on display in this event than any other on tour. There is usually much more tension too.

Historically, the U.S. has outplayed Europe, but not recently. Europe has won 6 of the 8 entering this event, including the last one in 2010. The Americans did win the last time they hosted in 2008. This year should be a very competitive one, as both teams are loaded. Here is our breakdown of each team, with predictions at the end.

Greg’s Take on the U.S. Team:

This United States Team is perhaps the most talented in history, with only one player (Jim Furyk) ranked outside the top 20 in the World Golf Rankings. The team has 4 newcomers (Bradley, Dufner, Simpson, Snedeker), and they team ranges in age from 26 (Bradley) to 45 (Stricker). It’s a good mix of personalities, player types, and distances.

Here are some pairings we should see:

1. Tiger Woods/Steve Stricker - The Stricker/Woods combination has been the best combo for the Americans over the last 3 Ryder Cups. In fact, they are the only pairing with a winning record in Foursomes and Four Ball over that stretch.

2. Phil Mickelson/Keegan Bradley - A good combination of personalities and game here. Phil and Keegan seem to be bartering with Captain Davis Love to play together.

3. Jason Dufner/Zach Johnson - Another good combination of style that I can see doing well, especially in the Foursomes alternate shot format.

4. Dustin Johnson/Anybody – Medinah Golf Course is going to play very long this week, and anybody would be fortunate to play with DJ, considering his tremendous length off the tee. He won't sit out.

Here are some pairings I'd like to see:

1. Tiger Woods/Brandt Snedeker - Tiger's length and Brandt's putting is a perfect match. Brandt’s confidence in his putting may well just rub off on Tiger, even so much that I'd consider using them instead of a TW/SS combo.

2. Bubba Watson/Matt Kuchar - Good balance of personalities and style. They would be a potent combination and tough not to root for.

3. Dustin Johnson/Steve Stricker- Dustin's length combined with Stricker's accuracy with wedges and irons would be deadly in foursomes competition.

Andrew’s Take on the European Team:

This European team has more firepower than any team I can remember. In the world rankings, this squad owns four of the top five! Those players are world number one Rory McIlroy, followed by Donald, Westwood, and Rose. They also have major winners McDowell, Lawrie, and Kaymer. Sergio and Poulter are also on the team, and these guys have dominated Ryder Cup play. Similar to the U.S., they have a great mix of playing styles, personalities, and experience.

Here are some pairings we should see:

1. Luke Donald/Sergio Garcia – These two are unbeaten in four Ryder Cup foursomes matches. In alternate-shot, Donald is has won all six matches and Garcia is unbeaten in nine matches. In terms of golf, they don’t have a weakness.

2. Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell – The common thread here is that both are from Northern Ireland. They are great friends with similar personalities, which is most important in the team format. Both have also taken down Tiger Woods before head to head.

3. Ian Poulter/Justin Rose – Rose is a great ball striker and Poulter can putt the rock. These guys both have performed very well in team competitions. Both have that edge that does well in events like this too.

Here are some pairings I’d like to see:

1. Luke Donald/Lee Westwood – These guys are both experienced, they don’t have weaknesses in their games, they have similar personalities, and they are close friends. What’s not to like?

2. Nicolas Colsaerts/Sergio Garcia – Nicolas is going to be a factor this week because of the length he can bring to a lengthy golf course. Pairing him with Sergio could get him off to a good start in his Ryder Cup career, because Sergio wins and wins and wins in this event.

3. Molinari/Hanson/Kaymer/Lawrie – The Euros are top heavy and do not possess the depth that the U.S. does. So these four are whom I consider weaker links. I try and sit these guys as much as possible, unless one of them gets hot. When playing, put them together so only one match is compromised. Or maybe they can steal one which would put you in a great spot.

Our Predictions:

Friday Foursomes:                            Greg - Europe 3, US 1

                                                            Andrew – Europe 2, US 2

Friday Four-ball:                               Greg: Europe 2, US 2

                                                            Andrew: Europe 1.5, US 2.5

Saturday Foursomes:                        Greg: Europe 1.5, US 2.5

                                                            Andrew: Europe 3, US 1

Saturday Four-ball:                           Greg: Europe 2.5, US 1.5

                                                            Andrew: Europe 1, US 3

***Going into Sunday Singles:          Greg: Europe 9, US 7

                                                            Andrew: Europe 7.5, US 8.5

Sunday Singles:                                 Greg: Europe 4.5, US 7.5

                                                            Andrew: Europe 5, US 7 

Total:                                                  Greg; US Wins 14.5 to Europe 13.5 

                                                            Andrew: US Wins 15.5 to Europe 12.5

By: The Sports Guys