Fantasy Time!

(pic from NevadaSageBrush.com)



College Fantasy Football is increasing in popularity. This year, as new leagues are created and new fans join the excitement that is fantasy football, a number of Nevada Wolf Pack players names are popping up amongst the premium players to nab at their positions.

Here are a list of popular web sites that are associated with CFB and their rankings and thoughts on our Wolf Pack:

http://www.collegefantasyfootballinsider.com/:

The first player to pop up on this site is WR Marko Mitchell as their #40 rated WR in the country. They didn't right a lot about Marko but did say that they felt he could build on his solid season last year to become a premier WR in the country. We agree!

Next up was the highest rated Wolf Pack fantasy pick and cracking the top 10 in the nation at #9 RB Luke Lippincott. They talk about the sporadic games and how Luke was capable for going for 60 yards and a TD one week and 200 yards and 4 TD's the next. They expect him to show more consistency this year and like him a lot of a fantasy league where season totals dictate the champion and not week to week heads up matches.

Last of the Nevada players is QB Colin Kaepernick who comes in as the #23 fantasy QB. CFFI does a nice job with this write up quoting former Marquette coach Al McGuire (interestingly Colin's bio lists him as being from Milwaukee WI...coincidence?) "the best thing about freshman is that they become sophomores" and then states that Nevada foes should be worried. One thing they did with the QB's that I'm hoping they do with the RB's and WR's is list a projected stats for 2008. For Colin they think 800 yards and 8 rushing scores and 2600 yards and 21 passing scores. We think probably a few more passing scores but the rest is probably about right.

(AP photo by Douglas C. Pizac)

www.profantasysports.com/collegefootball/ :

This is another pretty good site that you will find when surfing the college fantasy football ranks. They are also going through the lists of players and give their thoughts on a few of the Wolf Pack.

This site starts out with Marko again and they've got him ranked a little higher at #34 in the nation. So far they don't have their breakdown of individual players out yet but check in with them over the next few days and it should be there.

Moving on to the RB's, they've got Luke just a few places lower at #12 and with a pretty hefty write-up on him that I'm sure you will all enjoy reading. I'll give you the basics: Start out with a history lesson including Luke's beginning as a safety and showing promise as a back in 2006. Talked about the uncertainty going into the 2007 season and the absolute explosion of offense after Kaepernick was inserted, beginning with the mad stats at Boise and on through the rest of the season. Mentioned his finishing ahead of preseason Heisman candidate Ian Johnson and being one of the biggest surprises in the WAC. Lastly talked about his role as a means of defense through ball control this upcoming year and his value as a fantasy football player because of that.

Lastly with the QB's again, PFS has Colin listed one spot higher at #22 and also gives us a lot to read about. The basics: Talk about his evaluation coming out of high school and how they felt it was pretty far off. Lists some stats from last season. Goes into the QB battle with Graz a bit and talks about that. Wraps it up with their feeling that Colin could be good for 35 total scores this season, which even too us would be a lot for a sophomore.

There are some other good sites out there but they just aren't up to date as much as those two. A couple we will be watching to see in the coming month are:

www.rotoworld.com

www.fantasycollfoot.usatoday.com

and a great site to just grab all kinds of link and get your news from is:

www.preprosports.com

30 Days To Media Day

In just a short 30 days from today (June 23rd, 2008) the 2008 football season events will kick-off in Salt Lake City, Utah with the official WAC football media day.

Currently head coach Chris Ault is scheduled to speak on July 23rd at 10:00 AM and answer questions from print media services.

Besides coach Ault, select Nevada Wolf Pack football players will be participating in some Q and A of there own. From 9:00 to 10:30 AM players will be answering radio and TV media persons questions. From 10:30 to 11:30 they will then answer print media questions.

We here at PWtW look forward to hearing what coach Ault and the kids have to say about their upcoming season as well as what some of our WAC foes have to say as well.

Immediate Impact Added To 2008 Team

It was recently announced that the Nevada Wolf Pack had inked 4 new players from the junior college ranks to join the team for the upcoming 2008 football campaign. The Reno Gazette-Journal broke the story this morning with some details about the players and their history.

Linebacker Mike Bethea joins the team with 2 years of eligibility. As a JC gridwire second team All American, Mike brings needed experience and depth after the unexpected loss of Kevin Porter, a starting backer from last season's team who's career was shortened due to a neck injury. Bethea was being recruited by numerous programs including WAC foe BSU.

Wide Out Malcolm Shepherd also joins the team with 2 years of eligibility. A national JC Athletic Association All Regional 1st team selection, Malcolm has good size at 6'2" and is expected to contend for playing time in the Pack's three receiver sets along with current starters Marko Mitchell and Mike McCoy.

Defensive Back Mike Evans will join the Wolf Pack with 3 years of eligibility. With both corner positions open, Evans is expected to compete for a starting role immediately. He was being recruited by a number of major BCS programs and held an offer from Memphis.

And last but not least, Punter Brad Langley may have just become the first punter to be offered a scholarship to come play for the Pack in coach Ault's time. Langley will have 3 years of eligibility and will fill the role left open by Zachary Whited.

Welcome to the Wolf Pack and good luck this season!

Link to RGJ story with more details: http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080620/SPORTS06/806200494/1053

Cheaters Never Prosper.....

Boise State's current record holder for receptions in a single season is WR Jeremy Childs. He's also not practicing this summer with the team according to the Idaho Statesman. It seems Childs had a little incident with not doing his own paper during the school year and was placed on academic suspension.

Now we all know that Truck Driver U up in potato land doesn't hold academics nearly as important as most universities (like say, Nevada) so we are certain, as is their information director Max Corbet, that coach Pete will find a way to get him back on the field in time for their big opener against Idaho State.

Here is our advise on the situation:

Jeremy, next time make sure to use white out on the name of the author. A single line through it probably isn't fooling your professor. Even if he is a professor at BSu.

Link to story: http://www.idahostatesman.com/boisestatefootball/story/401075.html

Preview Review the Third

(Note: Lindy's west coast cover of their college football preview features four players. All Pac 10 players. Thanks for representing the west coast conference who's sent a team to the BCS two years running!)

Lindy's Take on the Pack:

It appears that Nevada is the popular pick for third in the WAC behind Boise and Fresno. I take this as meaning that the preseason magazines are recognizing that Nevada will have a good team this year and will be fighting for a chance to win the conference, but also historically Boise and Fresno have been so good that they aren't ready to crown Nevada ahead of them until they actually do it a few times. They also put Nevada at #73 in the nation, which is the lowest of the three magazines we've previewed. An obvious mistake that went unnoticed at the time of print.

Lindy's Preseason All WAC team:

Wolf Pack players on the First Team: RB Luke Lippincott, OL Dominic Green, LB Josh Mauga

Wolf Pack players on the Second Team: QB Colin Kaepernick, WR Marko Mitchell, OL Greg Hall

I think they went real conservative here and also only did a 1st and 2nd team. I believe they missed out on Kevin Basped and Mundrae Clifton on defense. It looks like all the mags agree we'll have a couple of OL make the cut at the end of the season, but they don't seem to agree on which ones. A good indicator that overall we are strong at the position.

Lindy's Brief Take:

Good News: QB Colin Kaepernick and RB Luke Lippincott can handle the pistol offense

Bad News: Shutout loss in the NM bowl has created doubts about the team as a contender

Lindy's Call: Nevada can challenge the leagues best on any given weekend but consistency may not be enough to get to a championship

I suppose that's a fair assessment of the team.

Lindy's Take on the Biggest Games Each Weekend:

8-30: Hawaii @ Florida (Good luck with that one!)

9-1: Fresno State @ Rutgers (Would be good for the conference if they win that one)

9-6: La Tech @ Kansas (Tech could make it respectable we think)

9-13: Nevada @ Mizzou (We need to keep this one close heading into the 4th and then anything could happen)

9-20: BSU @ Oregon (Tough one for the Donks)

9-27: Nevada @ FUNLV (Blue cannon, again)

10-3: BYU @ USU (Nothing would make us happier to see the good Mormons get beat by the bad ones....everyone knows if you are a good Mormon you go to BYU and if you want to shame your family, go to Utah or USU)

10-4: Hawaii @ FSU (I don't think this one will even be close. Fresno wins.)

10-17: Hawaii @ BSU (Ditto)

11-7: Nevada @ Fresno (Bulldogs say Bye Bye BCS dreams...and WAC title for that matter)

11-21: Fresno @ SJSU (Fresno tail spin begins)

11-28: Fresno @ BSU (Fresno now takes the lead for 3rd place in the WAC)

11-29: WSU @ Hawaii (Cougars do what the Huskies couldn't: Hold on to a lead and grab a W on the island)

12-6: Cinci @ Hawaii (Bows give the fans a nice win to end a not so nice season)

We are listed as having three critical games, all on the road. They missed two of the biggest home games that will be played in our history. Texas Tech and their Heisman candidates come to visit on 9-6 and then BSU for the WAC title in late November. Those will be huge!

Lindy's Top NFL Talent:

#6 RB Luke Lippincott

We were a bit surprised that Dom Geen or Mauga didn't make this list.

Lindy's Honor Roll:

A fun little section that describes attributes of the conferences best which include...Most Accurate Passer (Colin Kaepernick), Best Scrambler (Colin Kaepernick), Most Dangerous Deep Threat (Marko Mitchell)

Now we scratch our heads a little that Kaepernick, who did not have a very good completion percentage, would be listed as the most accurate passer. It is possible that they are expecting a big improvement from frosh to soph. Or maybe it was a misprint and they meant for him to be strongest arm and for Chase Holbrook to be most accurate (Chase was listed as strongest arm). We also think that Best Pass Rusher will belong to Basped by the end of the season.

Lindy's Lack of Respect:

No Wolf Pack players listed amongst the top players at their position in the country. Ugh!

Well that wraps up the Preseason Mags for the moment. As more things come out over the summer we'll do our best to keep you all updated.

Preview Review....Part Two

(Note: The west coast copy of Phil Steele's Preview features three players: Taylor Mays (stud), Rudy Carpenter (cry baby), and Jake Locker (over rated QB). No WAC players. If I'm not being a homer, even I can admit a guy like Ian Johnson should be on the cover for his senior year over a guy like Jake Locker who is only a sophomore and hasn't done anything yet. BCS bias...oh well.)

Steele's take on the Pack:

Steele takes a more historical look at the team leading up to present than most other mags do. He picks the Wolf Pack to finish third in the WAC and goes into a whole spiel about Tormey getting the team pointed in the right direction but Ault scheduled weakly and they kicked a bunch of kids off and blah blah. He really just says a bunch of crap that isn't important to anything and then finally gets to the point. He says that he has the team in the top 3 in 6 of 8 of his power ratings (earlier in the magazine he says he has the team as the top team in 6 of 8, make up your mind) and that we play the hardest schedule in the conference (yeah, that's right Fresno, tougher than Wisconsin, Rutgers, and UCLA). He expects a bowl eligible season for the 4th straight season.

Steele's Preseason All WAC team:

Wolf Pack Players on the 1st Team: RB Luke Lippincott, WR Marko Mitchell, OT John Bender, LB Josh Mauga

Wolf Pack Players on the 2nd Team: QB Colin Kaepernick, C Dominic Green, K Brett Jaekle

Wolf Pack Players on the 3rd Team: WR Mike McCoy, LB Jerome Johnson, SS Uche Anyanwu

Wolf Pack Players on the 4th Team: DT Mundrae Clifton, DE Kevin Basped

Steele's Take on Position Rank within the Conference:

#2 QB's, #2 RB's, #6 WR's, #2 OL, #7 DL, #5 LB's, #7 DB's, #6 ST's, #2 CH

I just don't agree with the WR's or DL here. And again, as with Athlon, things just don't seem to add up. I mean, how can Mauga be first team and Johnson be 3rd team and we are the #5 line backer corp in the conference? How does that add up?

Steele's Starting Line Up:

Interestingly, he has Sudfeld starting over Puloka. Also has Michael Andrews starting over Slack and Agaiava. He messed up on Erics Clark because it looks like we aren't getting him back. He also has Jonathan Ott and Dayton Guillory penciled in as the starters at the corners.

Steele Likes the Pack to be a Better Team:

He picks the Wolf Pack to be the #18 most improved team in the nation this season (he picks Notre Dame to be the most improved....like it's really that hard after that season).

Steele Ranks the Pack Players by National Rank at Position:

#30 QB Colin Kaepernick, #40 RB Luke Lippincott, #56 WR Marko Mitchell, #33 C Dominic Green, #32 OT John Bender, #43 ILB Josh Mauga, and #38 SS Uche Anyanwu. He also lists Nevada as being the #31 best QB unit (Kaepernick, Graziano, and Collis).

Steele Isn't Overlooking Kaepernick:

On the last page of the magazine (next to the hotty in the bikini) Steele gives his thoughts on the 2008 Heisman race. In the middle of the list of "Darkhorse" candidates is the Wolf Pack's own quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Other WAC players listed are Holbrook and Johnson under the "Possibilities" category and Brandstater joins Kaep in the "Darkhorse category. Not to shabby for a sophomore for a non BCS team to get a nod like that.

Steele's Overall Rank of the Wolf Pack: # 65 in the Nation.

Again we think we are a bit better than that, but we understand. Other WAC teams rankings: Boise St #32, Fresno St #45, Hawaii #69 (LOL), New Mexico St #86, San Jose St #87, La Tech #102, Idaho #114, and Utah St #116. Overall Steele is a bit better than Athlon with this, but again read previous comments for our take on the overall ratings.

50 Days to Fall Camp

80 Days to Kick Off and our first win of the season!

Preview Review

(Note: It's funny to us that the cover says "BCS Busters" when we all know.....Tom Brandstater and Ian Johnson ARE a couple of busters......)

Every year at this time, a number of college football previews come out. Some tend to be pretty close to accurate, others seem to be far off.

I'd like to take a look at each this off season and recap for you how they feel about our Wolf Pack. And also critique how they feel about our Wolf Pack. And lastly how they feel about our WAC brethren.

The first of these magazines is the Western Addition of Athlon. I would review the regular College Football Preview by Athlon. But standing in the local Border's and quickly thumbing through it I realized that the Western would have everything the national contained plus quite a bit more about the WAC so there is no need to do that.

Athlon's take on the Pack:

Athlon picks the Wolf Pack to be the #3 team in the WAC and the #68 team overall. The overall write up is similar to what the general vibe seems to be out there amongst non Pack fans. Than Nevada is a dangerous team and is on the upswing but is still one more year away from really challenging Fresno and Boise for the WAC. The offense will be hard to stop. The defense is a huge question mark.
We respectfully disagree but do understand the WAC ranking is fair at present. #48 would sound much more along the lines of national rank.

Athlon's preseason All WAC team:

Wolf Pack Players on 1st Team; RB Luke Lippincott, DE Kevin Basped

Wolf Pack Players on 2nd Team; QB Colin Kaepernick, WR Marko Mitchell, C Dominic Green, OL Alonzo Durham, DT Mundrae Clifton, ILB Josh Mauga

Wolf Pack Players on 3rd Team; OL Greg Hall

We feel that they got Luke right and actually got Kevin right, which they must have done their homework on because outside of Packland we didn't know that many knew about him. We felt that with the second team players, if they weren't first team they sure as hell better have been there. And we did like that Greg was listed on the 3rd team.

Athlon's Take on the Top 20 Incoming Recruits:

#3 is RB Michael Ball

We felt they missed on Thad Brown

Athlon's Take on Position Rank within the Conference:

#2 QB's, #2 OL, #3 RB, #3 LB, #4 DL, #5 WR/TE, #9 DB

Ok, here's the thing. How can they say that Kaepernick is 2nd team All WAC, but is not the clear starter because of Graziano (admitting we have two top level QB's) and then we are not #1? Are you serious that Colin and Nick combined are behind Touchdown Tommy Brandstater and whoever his backup is? Get real! Also, how can we be the #1 rushing attack last year and return 6 offensive linemen with starting experience and not be the #1 OL unit? I also think that #5 at WR is a little low. DB is understandable because we don't have positions determined yet.

Athlon's Rising Star for the Pack:

Red Shirt Freshman Linebacker Brandon Marshall

We agree and would love to see Brandon step up and get in the mix this season.

Athlon's Crucial Game:

At Hawaii Oct 25th.

As much as we feel Boise State at Mackay is THEE crucial game because it will be for a WAC championship at the end of the season, it's hard to disagree with Athlon. We haven't won on the rock yet and it should be a 4-0 start heading into the bye week before Fresno State when we grab that win.

Athlon's College Football Fantasy Draft Rankings:

For those of you who are looking for something else to do, Athlon provides us with their staff picks over the first four rounds as well as their fantasy rank for each position. Wolf Pack players are: #24 QB Colin Kaepernick, #17 RB Luke Lippincott, #35 WR Marko Mitchell. Lippincott is rated the #35 overall fantasy player (all positions) and was picked with the 25th pick in the staff draft.

Now a quick over view of other WAC teams:

#1 FSU (25 overall) They'll be higher than this mid season but finish around 35.

#2 BSU (47 overall) They'll be higher at the end of the season, around 45.

#4 UH (77 overall) That's about right.

#5 ULT (96 overall) They'll be higher at the end of the season, around 79.

#6 SJSU (99 overall) They'll be higher at the end of the season, around 85.

#7 NMSU (105 overall) That's about right.

#8 USU (117 overall) They'll be higher at the end of the season, around 101.

#9 UI (118 overall) 119.

Now normally we don't stick up for other WAC scum, but this is a bit ridiculous. We all know that LaTech, San Jose, and New Mexico St are not in the bottom 23 teams in college football. LaTech will play a tough OOC schedule, San Jose and New Mexico won't be great, but will play tough. We also don't think that Utah State will be the 3rd worst team in football. And lastly, if Idaho is not #119, we want to know who is.......