Posted in: Hustle Is Posting Right Now Hustle Is Posting Right Now: Volume 55 ("RIP RoH?" Edition)
By Hustle
Sep 15, 2009 - 11:56:34 PM
Good lookin out, Ro.
"I know we facin a recession, but the columns y'all makin' gon' make it the great depression.. or your lack of aggression.. pull your skirt back down, grow a set, men.."
Yeah, I paraphrased Jay-Z for this week's intro line. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it? I'm merely saying that I've been reading columns all over the place, and too many people are afraid to write what's really on their minds, like they're too busy being worried about making everyone happy and not offending anyone. Don't worry too much about that. Say what you need to say. Make a splash. It'll be worth it. Stop the circle jerk bullshit that is going on far too much these days. Anyway.. welcome, one and all, to yet another edition of the column that is alllll I neeeeed to get byyyyy.. Hustle Is Posting Right Now. That would make me the man that told you all Manti Te'o would make an impact for Notre Dame from the first time he stepped on the field for them.. ya boy, Hustle, back in the building again. ReaderLand, answer me this one question.. how's everyone doing out there? Once again, it's been a few weeks since our last get-together, so I feel as if I'm missing out on things. I felt as if I was missing out on a lot of things in my "real life", as well, which is why I've been spending so much time away from my column writing in the last couple months, trying to get things right. Enough about that, though. I know why you're all here, so, uh, I think it's about that time. Shall I proceed? (Yes, indeed.) Less dew eet!!
Let's be real here, ladies and gentlemen.. we've spent so much time together, you and I.. we're almost like family at this point. You've read a lot of my innermost thoughts and opinions, and I've read a lot of your comments in regards to those thoughts and opinions. Sure, we argue from time to time, but what family doesn't? There's been one subject that, surprisingly enough, we haven't argued much about, and that's Ring Of Honor. In the two-ish years that I've been writing columns, I've received a lot of feedback thanking me for actually stepping away from the "Big Two" companies and writing about something on a smaller scale. I'm sure the other LoP columnists that have done pieces about RoH, PWG, CHIKARA, etc have heard the same thing.
In their seven years of being part of the pro wrestling community, RoH has "built" many a big name, and many of them would eventually go on to become household names (well, you get the point, anyway) for either WWE or TNA. People like Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Christopher Daniels, The Brian Kendrick, Paul London, Homicide, MVP, Jamie Noble, etc all wrestled in an RoH ring long before the average wrestling fan had ever heard of them. Whenever one of their stars went elsewhere, RoH would always find a way to bounce back, stronger than ever. Maybe they brought in new "hot" names on the Indy circuit. Maybe they expanded their company and held shows in newer markets. Maybe they got a TV deal, albeit a somewhat small one. One way or another, they seemed to be "The Little Company That Could".
I don't know just how much longer they can keep that going, though.
As a lot of you people should already know (for one, I mentioned it in my last column), "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson has signed a contract with WWE, ending a legendary (by scale) run with RoH. The man that a lot of wrestling fans truly feel is "The Best In The World", Danielson is a former RoH World Champion, and has wrestled for countless promotions all over the globe. Since I last posted, word has gotten out that another former RoH World Champion, Nigel McGuinness, has also made the decision to jump ship and join Danielson in WWE. That's big news, as the two biggest names in RoH are both walking away from the company at the same time. Walking away at a time where the company doesn't have two huge names to take their place. Walking away at a time where it's being reported that the company is having some money problems. Walking away at a time where there's a groundswell of people becoming increasingly frustrated with the company's apparent direction to begin with. Not good.
Where do Danielson and McGuinness go from here? I've been thinking about that a lot since they both signed their contracts. Let's take a look at Danielson first, shall we?
If you're looking at who his "connections" would be, you'd have to look at Shawn Michaels and William Regal. Danielson was trained in Michaels' old Texas Wrestling Academy school, although just how much Michaels himself trained Danielson varies from story to story. Regal was the trainer in an old World Wrestling Federation developmental territory while Danielson was signed to a developmental deal back in the very beginning of this decade. Looking at both of those men, I don't think it's going too far to say that Danielson probably won't be involved with Michaels, in any way, any time soon. For one, Raw can be a brutal place for newer wrestlers. Two, Michaels is at or near the very top of the Raw totem pole, and that sure as hell won't be where Danielson debuts with the company. That leaves William Regal.
Bryan Danielson VS William Regal is almost like a wet dream for wrestling fans that dig "workrate". I don't give a shit what else is taking place on the show.. if those two face each other, ECW becomes a must-see every week. The rest of the show could be 40 minutes of The Abraham Washington Show, as long as the remaining 20 minutes are dedicated to Danielson VS Regal. What ECW seems to be doing correctly these days is giving their midcarders plenty of time to shine, as evidenced by the lengthy feuds we've been seeing from Hurricane and Paul Burchill, as well as Goldust and Sheamus. I see no reason why Danielson VS Regal wouldn't get that same type of airtime. On a bit of a side note to the Danielson VS Regal feud, I do think that Danielson would be a great person for Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson to work against. Danielson's offense has proven itself to be adaptable to any type of opponent, and the "big man" is no different. Perhaps Danielson and Regal won't end up facing each other, however.
If Regal's mini-stable were on Raw or Smackdown, adding someone like Danielson would make a lot of sense, in my opinion. Regal would be the "main" guy, while Big Zeke and Kozlov could go after the Unified Tag Titles, which would leave Danielson as the midcard guy to fight for the Intercontinental or United States belts. Without a midcard title on ECW, however, that plan wouldn't necessarily work. It would lead to the eventual face turn of Danielson when Pro Wrestling Cliche' Storyline #1177128 takes place, and he gets tired of being bossed around by his group's leader, so he leaves. It isn't set in stone that he'll have anything to do with Regal upon his debut, though, so other options need to be looked at.
If you've been watching Raw the last few weeks, you'd have already noticed that the once-hot Evan Bourne hasn't been used for anything other than comedy and being a sideshow in the Hornswoggle/Chavo Guerrero feud. Now that the feud appears to be over, Bourne could sure as hell use something relevant to do. Bringing in Danielson as a heel would work wonders for Evan. He works well with submission-style wrestlers, and it's pretty safe to say that Bryan Danielson is one of the absolute best submission-style wrestlers going today. He could spend a large portion of those matches stretching young Master Bourne in ways not yet invented yet, and damnit, that's always fun to watch. The only problem with this scenario is the aforementioned issue that newer talent has on Raw. It becomes easy to get lost in the shuffle on Monday nights, even for some of the more experienced midcard talent. A move to Friday nights as a part of the Blue Brand could benefit him, though. With people like Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, Charlie Haas, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Finlay, and Matt Hardy (WTF?) around, there are plenty of people for him to go up against and have good matches with. Whenever Edge returns from his injury, you can sure as hell add his name to that list. Alright, enough about Danielson for the time being.
With McGuinness, you again need to stop and look at his "connections" before any predictions can be made. The first (and only, for the most part) name that comes into play is, once again, William Regal, albeit indirectly. Regal has made multiple public comments about how much he enjoyed McGuinness' work, and has even said that, as recently as a year ago, he pushed for Vince McMahon to sign Nigel. Nigel, although bigger and stronger, has a lot of that old school European-style to his game, since Dave Taylor and Robbie Brookside (two of Regal's old tag team partners, and some of the better wrestlers the UK has produced this generation) both trained him. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Nigel start off with Regal in one way or another, in kind of a "You wanted him here, and he's here, so he's your responsibility" type of deal.
Paul Burchill has little to no credibility in the eyes of the WWE Universe, so Nigel would make for a perfect "heir apparent" that Regal could introduce and play up. Would he fall victim to Pro Wrestling Cliche' Storyline #1177128? Unquestionably he would, but at least the fit is perfect. It's so perfect that I can't even picture Nigel being brought in to go against Regal. It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to go that route. Of course, as with Danielson, there's no guarantee Regal will be involved with them upon their arrival.
Should McGuinness be sent to Raw, there's still the opportunity that he'd become jumbled up in the mix, but what would help him out is that he's a better "talker" than Danielson, and brings more "wrestling charisma" to the table. He's also a lot bigger than Danielson (6'1" and 230 pounds, to Danielson's 5'9" and 190 pounds), so he'd pass the "eyeball test" with unfamiliar fans, although size is proving to matter less within the WWE ranks as time goes on. Unlike ECW and Smackdown, however, Raw is the most "sports entertainment" orientated show that WWE produces, so things like mic skills, charisma, and size matter more on Mondays. I'd damn near pay money just to watch Nigel hit The Miz with a Jawbreaker Lariat. Hmm.. of course, I would pay to see Matt Hardy get mollywhopped with the Jawbreaker, so perhaps Smackdown would be the best option for Nigel. The taped atmosphere might help to make him more comfortable, I'd think. As I mentioned already, Smackdown has more than its fair share of talented wrestlers to work with.
My general prediction is that both Danielson and McGuinness end up on ECW for the next several months or so, when one, or perhaps both, will be drafted to another brand (probably McGuinness to Raw, with Danielson going to Smackdown, if I had to choose). Upon his arrival, I think McGuinness will, in fact, be placed alongside Regal, while Danielson will debut on his own. I'd be shocked if they didn't cross paths eventually, though, especially given their history with one another.
Where does this leave Ring Of Honor, though? Well, upon Danielson's signing, the buzz was that WWE had a list of about a half-dozen talents in RoH they were going after, and obviously, McGuinness was on that list. There has been plenty of talk and speculation on who else will be offered deals, but I'm thinking The Briscoes have to be there, as well as Claudio Castagnoli and maybe one or two from the following: Chris Hero, Tyler Black, Davey Richards, and current RoH World Champion Austin Aries. As most of you may have noticed, the WWE tag team ranks need all the help they can get, which is where Jay and Mark Briscoe come into play. As a team, they've achieved absolutely all that can be achieved on the Indy ranks, and have been successful in Japan, as well. They're in need of a new beginning, in my opinion. Claudio Castagnoli has the size (6'5" and 230 pounds) and strength to make it with WWE, but English not being his first language could hurt his development in the land of promos and storyline development. Chris Hero brings the size (6'5" and 230 pounds), look, incredible charisma, and "connections" (being trained by William Regal, Finlay, and Dave Taylor, among others) to succeed. I've mentioned Tyler Black in more than a few of my previous columns, and still think he's the future of pro wrestling, but he's still only 23 years old, so I don't know how quickly Vince McMahon would bring him along. He's still got plenty of time, that's for sure. Davey Richards reminds a lot of people of Chris Benoit in size, stature, ring attire, and parts of his moveset. Clearly, that might be somewhat iffy from Vince's point of view. Austin Aries is an interesting case, because he does have the charisma and the ability to be a good addition to the WWE roster, but he clashed with TNA officials during his time there, and seems to enjoy the freedoms that you get from working the Indy scene. I'd imagine that if he had a problem with the freedom he had in TNA, he'd absolutely hate the freedom he'd have with WWE, but it would still be in the WWE's best interests to go after the RoH World Champion.
Again, RoH has lost some of their top names in the past, and whenever that happened, they always found ways to bring in new talent to "replace" them. Losing so much talent in such a short amount of time is a different beast altogether, though. With the company struggling as it is, this might be the latest (and perhaps final) nail in their coffin. Deep down, I suppose that does make me sad, considering how much of an RoH fan I was at one point. Once they fired Gabe Sapolsky and replaced him at Booker with Adam Pearce, though, a lot of my interest began to fade. They've made several questionable booking decisions since then, which only solidified my opinion that Sapolsky shouldn't have been let go in the first place. With people such as Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, there really isn't much left for them in RoH, and I'm glad for them that they were able to get that "WWE Payday" before it was too late and their bodies finally broke down from all the wear and tear. For the other guys, I'd be glad to see their hard work pay off, literally and figuratively, for them. I'm expecting another signing to be revealed within the next week or so, but that's just an assumption, and not based on anything in particular. For now, though..
Rest In Peace, Ring Of Honor.
Hustle Highlight Of The Week: More than being about one single event, this edition's winner of the HHotW award goes to CM Punk's heel work, in general, over the last few weeks. Ever since his turn was first hinted at, he's been on an absolute roll, and he's had incredible match after incredible match, along with cutting some of 2009's best promos thus far. I've seen this title tossed around at various places on Teh Intarwebz, but this truly has been "The Summer Of Punk". Remember when people weren't really talking about him at all? Remember when people immediately shit on his Money In The Bank victory by either saying he didn't deserve it, or that he'd be the first winner of said match that would fail to cash his shot in successfully? That seems like it was years ago, at this point. I've told you people for a long time now that Punk would make a much better heel than a face, and I hate to say "I told you so", but.. well.. yeah.
Honorable mentions would be.. Christian VS William Regal (ECW - Two Weeks Ago).. Rey Mysterio VS Kane (Smackdown - Two Weeks Ago).. Randy Couture VS Antonio Minotauro Nogueira (UFC 102).. Kofi Kingston VS Jack Swagger VS The Miz VS Carlito (Raw - Two Weeks Ago).. Mickie James VS Beth Phoenix (Raw - Two Weeks Ago).. Tony Atlas' laugh on The Abraham Washington Show (ECW - A Week Ago).. Goldust VS Sheamus (ECW - A Week Ago).. AJ Styles VS Chris Sabin (Impact - A Week Ago).. AJ Styles VS Doug Williams (Impact - A Week Ago).. Rey Mysterio VS John Morrison (Smackdown - A Week Ago).. BxB Hulk VS YAMATO (Dragon Gate's "Enter The Dragon" PPV).. Dragon Kid VS Masato Yoshino (Dragon Gate's "Enter The Dragon" PPV).. Naruki Doi VS Shingo (Dragon Gate's "Enter The Dragon" PPV).. Bob Barker, in general (Raw - This Past Week).. Cody Rhodes' promo (Raw - This Past Week).. The Hurricane VS Paul Burchill (ECW - This Past Week).. Finlay VS Mike Knox (Smackdown - This Past Week).. DX VS The Legacy (Breaking Point).. Christian VS William Regal (Breaking Point).. Randy Orton VS John Cena (Breaking Point).. Shawn Michaels VS Ted DiBiase (Raw - Last Night).. Trish Stratus' version of MVP's "Ballin" elbow (Raw - Last Night)
Writer's Note: Jeff Hardy.. where do I even begin? It's been a wild ride for Jeff Hardy fans in the last few years, but that ride may have come to a permanent end with his recent arrest and multiple felony charges. He's not facing community service and a little probation, people. He's facing years and years behind bars, and there's nobody to blame but Jeff himself. I won't go too deep into commenting on his charges until all the facts come out, but for the time being, I think it's safe to say he won't be returning to wrestle for Vince McMahon. Now, if those around him would stop making excuses for him and actually try to get him some help, perhaps they can help him to avoid being the next professional wrestler who passes away before he hits the age of 40.
Absolutely fucking brilliant idea trying to pass him off as the face during his feud with CM Punk, Vince. Way.. to.. fucking.. go.
Writer's Note Part Deux: For those of you that missed the absolute war that my Facebook status update caused, I figured I'd briefly mention something here, because it was definitely the hot topic in the social networking world tonight. Of course, I'm referring to Kanye West's antics at the MTV Video Music Awards. If you missed it, here's the brief breakdown..
- Taylor Swift wins the award for Best Female Video
- Right as Ms Swift starts her acceptance speech, Kanye gets on stage and takes a mic
- For the most part, Kanye tells the world that Beyonce should've won the award instead
- The crowd boos
- Kanye leaves the stage
- Taylor is rushed off the stage dumbfounded
Alright, let me get this out of the way, first and foremost.. what Kanye did was dumb, whether it was a publicity stunt (as some are speculating) or not. I'm not condoning his actions, but come on, people.. a lot of you are totally overreacting, and are really quite full of it. You forget that this isn't Kanye's first time pulling a stunt at an awards show. He's been doing it for years, crying when he doesn't get nominated or when he doesn't win various awards. Every single time he does it, people say they don't respect him anymore, and that they aren't going to support him in the future. As soon as Kanye spits another hot 16 or creates another bangin track, though, those people are usually the first to say they love his work. I merely think that a lot of people are overreacting to this entire thing and making it out to be much worse than it actually was. He's already apologized for his actions multiple times, so we really have no choice but to accept it and move on.
Writer's Note Part Ekolu: Ladies and gentlemen, it's football season once again, and damnit, I'm excited as all hell about it. I've been asked about a lot of my predictions on the current NFL season, as well as the current college season, so I'm going to satisfy your cravings, folks. First up.. the NFL..
AFC East Winner - New England Patriots - As long as QB Tom Brady can stay healthy, this one is a no-brainer, in my opinion. The last time we saw Brady play a full, healthy season, he put together what was, quite possibly, the single-best season a QB has ever had in the history of the NFL. He threw for 4806 yards and an NFL-record 50 touchdowns (with only 8 interceptions), leading the Patriots to an undefeated regular season. His two main weapons, WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker, both return, and the team's receiving corps has only gotten stronger with the addition of Joey Galloway, who is still dangerous, even at the ripe old age of 74. The main concern for the Patriots this season is their defense. Losing the veteran leadership of guys like LB Tedy Bruschi, DE Richard Seymour, LB Mike Vrabel, LB Larry Izzo, S Rodney Harrison, etc is going to hurt, no matter who they're replaced with. Losing LB Jerod Mayo in their opener last night definitely won't help the defense any, as evidenced by the fact that Buffalo's offense looked impressive against them in the small amount of time they were actually on the field. If the Patriots' offense is hitting on all cylinders, though, their defense won't need to do anywhere near as much to be successful.
AFC North Winner - Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers are the best team in the NFL right now, and they're built to stay on top for the next few years, at least. QB Ben Roethlisberger isn't the flashiest player in the league, and he won't put up the gaudiest numbers, but all he does is win. Yes, S Troy Polamalu is injured right now, but that defense is loaded, and they've proven before that they can win when Polamalu sits out, so I think the team will be just fine until their assassin in the secondary returns to the field.
AFC South Winner - Indianapolis Colts - As in every season, this team will go as far as QB Peyton Manning's health will carry them. If he stays healthy, you can just about chalk them up for a postseason berth year in and year out. WR Anthony Gonzalez missing a few games will hurt Peyton and the Indy offense, though, and it puts a lot of pressure on WR Reggie Wayne to keep things moving along smoothly. Once S Bob Sanders returns from his injury, he'll almost single-handedly shore up the Colts' defense like he does every year, but until then, they might struggle a bit, especially against the run. Keep an eye out for rookie RB Donald Brown, who is custom-made for the Colts' offense, and will become their #1 RB before the year is over, pushing Joseph Addai to benchwarmer status.
AFC West Winner - San Diego Chargers - DE/LB Shawne Merriman's healthy return will make all the difference in the world for the Chargers. He brings nastiness and the aggression that the San Diego defense didn't have last season, which caused them to disappoint tremendously. QB Phillip Rivers continues to get better with each passing season, and now has a good argument for being a Top 5 QB in the entire league. Playing in a weak division will help the team rack up some victories, and will probably allow them to rest players towards the end of the season, should they feel the need to do so. With all the talent they have on their roster, it's only a matter of time before the Chargers are able to piece everything together and turn that potential into production.
AFC Wild Card Winners - Baltimore Ravens & Tennessee Titans - The teams at the top of the AFC are all, for the most part, set in their spots. That includes Baltimore and Tennessee, who will be strong, but have the unfortunate luck of sharing divisions with two of the better teams in football. If QB Joe Flacco can avoid the dreaded "Sophomore Slump", the Ravens should be just fine, even after losing a few key pieces of their defense (including Defensive Coordinator Rex Ryan). I nearly gave the New York Jets the nod for the final AFC Wild Card spot, but the Titans are more of a "sure thing", and just have less questions overall than the Jets do. RB Chris Johnson is just flat-out fun to watch, and QB Kerry Collins is one of the better "game managers" in the entire league.
NFC East Winner - Philadelphia Eagles - Perhaps more than any other group in the NFL, I'm pretty stoked to watch the Philly offense take the field this season. QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook, WR DeSean Jackson, and WR Jeremy Maclin are exciting enough, but when you throw in guys like QB/RB/WR/Whatever Michael Vick, RB LeSean McCoy, and WR Kevin Curtis, they have the makings of something special. As is the case every year for Philly, however, they need to keep McNabb and Westbrook healthy to reach the next level. They aren't exactly off to a great start in that area, with McNabb fracturing a rib already. Even with Kevin Kolb and the newly signed Jeff Garcia on the roster, let the "Start Michael Vick" bandwagon begin, folks.
NFC North Winner - Minnesota Vikings - The team had division-winning talent to begin with, and the addition of QB Brett Favre can only make them better, as long as Favre can stay healthy. He provides the right amount of passing game intimidation that Minnesota has been missing in recent seasons. RB Adrian Peterson is the best player in the league, bar none, and will benefit tremendously from Favre being in town, as opposing defenses can't always put 8 or 9 men in the box to try and stop him. Watch for WR Percy Harvin to have a big rookie year. He and Favre already seem to have some nice chemistry building, and Harvin could be really scary once they start rolling.
NFC South Winner - Atlanta Falcons - Some people think that Atlanta's success last season was a bit of a fluke, but I'm not buying that for a second. QB Matt Ryan was a lot better, statistically, than Baltimore's Flacco, but didn't get the same amount of press because the Falcons were eliminated in the postseason before the Ravens were. RB Michael Turner was amazing last season, and this season should be no different. WR Roddy White and TE Tony Gonzalez round out the potent Falcons offense. On defense, there are some question marks, but the additions of players like LB Mike Peterson and rookie DT Peria Jerry will do nothing but help.
NFC West Winner - Arizona Cardinals - I'd love to say that my 49ers are going to win the division, especially coming off of their victory against these very same Cardinals, but they're still not quite ready, in my opinion. Arizona will be able to take advantage of a pretty weak division and come out on top when the season ends, unless QB Kurt Warner has finally reached "over the hill" status and is in for a rough year. WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are, arguably, the best tandem in all of football, so Warner will definitely have no other reason for his stats to fall off. Rookie RB Beanie Wells has all the potential in the world, and I think he'll put in serious work for the team before the season is over.
NFC Wild Card Winners - New York Giants & Green Bay Packers - This was a lot tougher to look at than the AFC Wild Card, as, realistically, there are a handful of other teams that have legit chances at making the playoffs in the NFC. The Giants have a lot of pieces in place for them to make another run, if you ask me. If either Hakeem Nicks or Ramses Barden (perhaps both) can pick up the slack caused by the departure of WR Plaxico Burress, the Giants probably have enough to win the NFC East, but for now, I give them the Wild Card. Although the Packers didn't look all that tremendously crisp this past weekend, I still think they have enough firepower to grab the NFC's second Wild Card spot. QB Aaron Rodgers is getting better all the time, and he has some really nice weapons to throw to, including WRs Greg Jennings and Donald Driver. Their defense let them down last year, but drafting DT BJ Raji and LB Clay Matthews will help, especially against the run.
AFC Champion - Pittsburgh Steelers - The "popular" choice here is New England, and I can understand that, for the most part. However, I feel that Pittsburgh is the "safe" choice, as they have less that needs to fall in place for them, while New England needs their defense to step up and improve with a new bunch of players leading the way. Yes, teams will be gunning for the Steelers, but they've shown, on countless occasions, that the pressure doesn't get to them at all. That counts for a lot in the NFL.
NFC Champion - Atlanta Falcons - Yeah, I figured I would travel out to the very end of a shaky tree limb with this choice. Call me crazy, but I really, really like the Falcons this season. They just have that "special" vibe about them going into the season, and if the defense steps up, they're going to surprise a lot of people.
Super Bowl 44 Champion - Pittsburgh Steelers - Roethlisberger is at the helm of the NFL's newest dynasty, and this probably won't be the last Super Bowl victory he leads his team to. In a matchup of the experienced Pittsburgh offense VS a young and relatively untested Atlanta defense, I'd expect the Steelers to win that easily. I do think the Falcons are "young and dumb" enough not to know that they're "supposed" to get steamrolled, so they should be able to keep it close until the end.
Now, we move on to college football..
ACC Champions - Georgia Tech - RB Jonathan Dwyer is an absolute beast. He isn't the only talented runner in the backfield, though. Tech has a seemingly endless supply of backs that are a threat to score whenever they have the ball in their hands. Coach Paul Johnson's offense wears down even the best of defenses. The ACC is in a bit of a rebuilding mode, and really, there are a handful of teams with realistic chances of coming away with the conference title, but it's tough not to like Tech's chances.
Big East Champions - South Florida - I went back and forth a lot between South Florida and Pittsburgh here, but in the end, Pittsburgh losing their best offensive and defensive players from last season's team cost them the spot here. Bulls' QB Matt Grothe has been compared to Brett Favre a lot, because he plays fearlessly, but that has also led to more interceptions than your average QB would throw. He has a solid running game backing him up, so he doesn't need to force so many throws, but as we've seen with Favre himself, it's tough to get a QB out of that mentality once he starts. DE George Selvie is a future NFL Pro Bowl participant. He's amazing to watch when he's rushing the passer.
Big 10 Champions - Ohio State - He's still growing as a player, but I'm a huge fan of QB Terrelle Pryor, and I think he's on the verge of being an absolute superstar, if he isn't at that level already. Sure, he had his stumbles against USC this past weekend, but he's still young, and so is the season. The Buckeyes just, flat out, have far more talent than any other team in the conference. Too much speed. Too much athleticism. Too much of just about everything for the rest of the Big 10 to deal with.
Big 12 Champions - Texas - From top to bottom, there aren't many teams that field as much talent as the Longhorns. From QB Colt McCoy to WR Jordan Shipley to DE Sergio Kindle to several others, there are NFL prospects all over the Texas roster. Not that they necessarily needed the help, but Texas will benefit from Oklahoma's early rash of injuries, and they should walk to a conference title.
Conference USA Champions - Houston - I went back and forth between Houston and Tulsa here, but, in the end, Houston won out because they have better returning offensive talent, in my opinion. QB Case Keenum is deadly accurate, and makes far less mistakes than most QBs do, especially considering how often he puts the ball in the air. What impressed me most about the Cougars was that their defense showed no fear on the road against the explosive offense of then-#5 ranked Oklahoma State, making enough plays and pulling out a huge upset victory.
Mountain West Champions - BYU - QB Max Hall put himself on the map, nationally, with his game-winning drive against Oklahoma to start the season. They do have questions in the secondary, but there's more than enough talent everywhere else for them to be MWC champions, as well as a serious contender for a BCS bowl game. RB Harvey Unga is a joy to watch, as he just runs through defenders. I like that.
Pac 10 Champions - USC - Before the season started, Oregon was a popular choice to end USC's strangehold on the Pac-10. Then, the Boise State game happened. Then, LaGarrette Blount happened. Then, Matt Barkley's poise and confidence happened. Now, it looks like USC is back to being the easy pick to be conference champs yet again. That RB corps is incredible, as they have six (yes, six) backs that could start for just about any team in the country, as well as one of the nation's top FBs. The team's main concern going into the year was wondering just who would step up at QB, but that appears to be a question that was solved right away. Look out.
SEC Champions - Florida - As the defending national champions, they're definitely the team to beat this season. The best thing about Coach Urban Meyer and QB Tim Tebow is that neither one of them is the type of guy to rest on his accomplishments and become complacent. They'll remain hungry for more, and as anybody who has ever played competitive team sports will agree with, that type of attitude from your leaders spreads like wildfire. The Gators are so loaded that it's almost a matter of how much they'll win their games by, not just if they'll win their games.
WAC Champions - Boise State - If you've paid any attention to my columns, or to my posts at LoPForums.com, you know just how painful it was for me to label Boise State as champions of anything, but all bias aside, there really aren't any teams in the WAC that are on Boise's level. QB Kellen Moore and CB Kyle Wilson lead a very talented Broncos squad that should have no problem going undefeated through their conference schedule once again.
National Championship Game - Florida VS Texas - Sure, I could've went in a different direction, but these two teams are clearly the cream of the college football crop, so I don't see much of a point in going against them. I don't see Florida stumbling at all, but if Texas were to falter somewhere along the line, it wouldn't shock me to get a Florida VS USC matchup for all the marbles.
National Champions - Florida - The Gators defense could probably hang tough against some NFL teams. They're that scary. They have the speed, talent, and the right schemes to be in Colt McCoy's grill all night long, and that'll be the difference, giving Florida the victory.
Heisman Trophy Winner - Florida QB Tim Tebow - What else is left to say about this guy? At the end of this season, he'll go down as one of the greatest college football players that has ever lived. With three national championships (if my prediction for this year is correct) and two Heisman Trophies (ditto) under his belt, he has a very valid claim as being the best of all-time. Either way, he's as close to a "sure thing" as there is in football today, and unless you're a blind hater, it's tough not to root for the guy, both on and off the field.
What Hustle Is Listening To Right Now: "Show Me" by Nesian N.I.N.E. .. "Island Boy" by Ilona Irvine.. "Write Me A Letter" by Maoli.. "No One" by Maoli.. "Gimme Love" by Collie Buddz.. "Pualena" by Vika.. "Honestly" by Ekolu.. "I'll Be Good To You" by Ekolu.. "Unconditionally" by Kohomua.. "The Way You Do The Things You Do" by UB40.. "Red Red Wine" by UB40.. "Romeo" by Ho'aikane.. "Give Me One Chance" by Kaipo Kapua.. "Lifetime Lover" by J-Boog.. "Love Season" by J-Boog.. "Drift Away" by Colon.. "I Wanna Love You Tonight" by Pati.. "Me Name Jr Gong" by Damian Marley.. "Roots Rockin" by Mana'o Company.. "Drop Baby Drop" by Mana'o Company.. "Heartache" by One Groove.. "Colour Me Life" by Katchafire.. "Seriously" by Katchafire.. "You That I Want" by Typical Hawaiians.. "Easy On The Eyes" by Ka'u.. "Let's Hook It Up" by B.E.T. .. "Let's Hook It Up Part 2" by B.E.T. .. "Roller Skates" by Steel Pulse.. "Masese" by Kapena.. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Kapena.. "Darkness To Light" by Fiji.. "Come On Over" by Fiji.. "Naughty Girl" by Fiji.. "Ehu Girl" by Kolohe Kai.. "Missing You" by Lukie D.. "Just A Passing Glance" by Don Carlos.. "Black Roses" by Inner Circle.. "Far Away" by Pohaku.. "Come On Pretty Baby" by City Side.. "One Woman Man" by Koauka.. "I Want You To Know" by Kekai Boyz.. "Ditty" by Paperboy.. "Coming From Where I'm From" by Anthony Hamilton.. "Charlene" by Anthony Hamilton.. "Locked Up" by Akon & Styles P.. "Locked Up (Remix)" by Akon & Savage.. "Ghetto" by Akon.. "Blown Away" by Akon & Styles P.. "I Wanna Love You" by Akon & Snoop Dogg.. "Don't Matter" by Akon.. "Never Took The Time" by Akon.. "No One" by Alicia Keys.. "Goodbye" by Alicia Keys.. "Love" by Musiq Soulchild.. "jusfriends" by Musiq Soulchild.. "dontchange" by Musiq Soulchild.. "halfcrazy" by Musiq Soulchild.. "Day N Nite" by Kid Cudi.. "All Bets On Ace" by Ace Hood.. "She Wolf" by Shakira (Well, more for the video than anything else, I suppose).. "What You Gonna Do" by Mystikal.. "Pass The Dutchie" by Musical Youth.. "Breakin My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" by Mint Condition.. "Sky's The Limit" by Notorious BIG & 112.. "You're All I Need (To Get By)" by Method Man & Mary J Blige.. "Live Forever (Fly With Me)" by Gym Class Heroes.. "There You Are" by Sam Salter.. "Everything Man" by Talib Kweli.. "John Crow" by Jimmy Cliff.. "Knockin Da Boots" by H-Town.. "Your Glass House" by Atmosphere.. "Can You Stand The Rain" by Boyz 2 Men.. "Motownphilly" by Boyz 2 Men.. "The Color Of Love" by Boyz 2 Men.. "In The Still Of The Night" by Boyz 2 Men
That takes care of yet another column, folks. My drive towards 100 columns continues on, and I thank you all, as usual, for coming along with me on the journey. Before I go on any further, I want to send a shout-out to both Doc Monk and Skittlez for their new (well, not so new in the good Doctor's case) attempts at daily columns. I'm glad to see the daily column tradition at LoP is being carried on, but it does make me wish I brought The HIPE back sooner. That's alright, though.. I'll let both Doc and Skitz have their shine, and The HIPE will make its return when the time is right. Don't worry, folks. Sometime in the next 7-21 days, I shall be back with yet another Hustle Original, delivered hot and fresh to your computer monitors. Keep your peepers peepin for that. Until then, I'm out of here like last year, nah'mean? From the state where you're going to have a bitch of a time living comfortably unless you're a millionaire, I bid you farewell. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa.
”I'm exceedin expectations, you barely meetin quota.. I give it to em straight, you cut it with baking soda..”
Hustle HIPRNFeedback@gmail.com
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