Welcome to our weekly discussion amongst The Ralphie Report's staff. Same format as last week, so dig right in.
Feel free to throw your answers to the same questions into the comments below.
Buffs Questions:
1) Did the ground game in the second half against CSU give you hope that the Buffaloes rushing attack will continue to roll, or do you see it as a case of an over-matched opponent?
Bob: 92 yards on 21 carries certainly wasn't a bad half but it wasn't earth shattering either. My favorite part of the game though was the 16 play drive to seal the game away where the Buffs ran for 55 yards. That is the sort of drives we need to see a lot more of. If David Bakhtiari is able to return to top form, that will definitely help improve the running game.
Ash: I want to see it as a sign of progress, but my guess is that it's actually better conditioning that allowed us to continue to get push as there were some impressive running holes in the second. We all know it wasn't better line depth. If it was superior conditioning and stamina in our line, then that bodes well for us playing all 4 quarters against Ohio St.
David: Confidence-wise, it's great for the team. Otherwise, we have to wait until they can replicate it.
Jon: At least it's a move forward, but the offensive line still has a lot of work to do in this department I was encouraged by the carries that Tony Jones got and I expect to see him continue to do more with Rodney Stewart.
2) Now that word has come down that Travis Sanderfeld is out for a while, are you concerned about the secondary moving forward?
Bob: Not horribly concerned. I feel fine with Parker Orms, Gregory Henderson and Deji Olatoye stepping in for Sandersfeld. There is still plenty of concern about all four's ability to be top notch corners at the college level, though.
Ash: Actually not yet, if only because it seemed like the secondary settled in and played good coverage for 3 quarters.
David: Yes and no. It won't hurt to get the other guys some reps, because Sandersfeld won't be the only guy who misses time this season.
Jon: I'm going to sound like a broken record, but the biggest downside of this move is the hit to the team's depth. I'm comfortable with Orms and Henderson going forward, but please, please stay healthy.
3) What's the biggest (biggest, doesn't mean it's big) advantage that this Buffaloes team could have over Ohio State?
Bob: It has to be the Buffs' defense against the Ohio State offense. After watching the quarterback play of OSU against Miami, this is an offense that doesn't look to be potent so if Colorado can avoid giving up the big play, this is a game Colorado can be in the running for a while. Against CSU, the Buffs did a good job limiting the big play and making Colorado State sustain long drives.
Ash: An offensive identity. I was reading the miami game offensive report from the SBNation OSU site, and their team trotted out the shotgun for two consecutive 3-and-out drives before reverting to their strength: the I-formation. It seems to me like OSU got a hawkins-type for coach, maybe that makes Embree our greatest advantage. Or maybe our field goal kicker; I forsee him becoming a weapon on saturday.
David: We're coming off of a victory and they aren't.
Jon: As much as I like seeing the success that Lamar Miller had last against the Buckeyes last week, trying to control the game on the ground and eat up the clock is playing right into this team's preferred style of play. OSU has won a lot of games like that over the years. For the Buffaloes to pull off the upset, they are going to have to hit the big play for a score at least twice. Turnovers are going to be huge here as well. CU has to protect the ball and hope for a couple from the Buckeyes.
CFB Questions:
1) Who do you think should be #1, LSU, Oklahoma or Alabama?
Bob: Oklahoma. Both Oklahoma and LSU have scary defenses but Oklahoma's offense separates them.
Ash: I've actually only seen one of them play, but that much tells me that LSU shouldn't be #1. So instead I guess I'll say...Oklahoma
David: I say Oklahoma because it'll make Jon happy.
Jon: I'm going to hold fast with my OU pick and I'm trying to not be biased here, but we only have the two games they have played and I still think they have the best offensive/defensive balance. Now if LSU goes into West Virginia and breezes by the Mountaineers, they'll have to be moved up.
2) Which team is the third best in the Pac-12?
Bob: Tough question. Probably USC but after Oregon and Stanford, it is a pretty significant drop.
Ash: Uh wait...third? [/counts on fingers]. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's us...tied with Cal (this conference still does ties, right?). Why? Hm...yeah...about that...
David: Can you give me another week?
Jon: I think for now I have to go with USC. We will now a lot more about both Washington and California after this weekend, but I think the Trojans are better than both. I think they will beat ASU in Tempe this weekend, which would obviously knock the Sun Devils out of the discussion and people are giving Utah way to much credit for beating a BYU team that, well, sucks.
3) Give me the final scores:
- LSU @ West Virginia
- Arkansas @ Alabama
- Oklahoma St. @ Texas A&M
- Florida St. @ Clemson
- USC @ Arizona St.
Bob:
- LSU @ West Virginia 24-20
- Arkansas @ Alabama 26-14
- Oklahoma St. @ Texas A&M 37-34
- Florida St. @ Clemson 24-23
- USC @ Arizona St. 34-33Ash:
- LSU 26 @ West Virginia 17
- Arkansas 23 @ Alabama 28
- Oklahoma St. 35 @ Texas A&M 38
- Florida St. 27 @ Clemson 25
- USC 19 @ Arizona St. 20Jon:
- LSU @ West Virginia 20 - 10
- Arkansas @ Alabama 20 - 30
- Oklahoma St. @ Texas A&M 42 - 0
- Florida St. @ Clemson 23 - 24
- USC @ Arizona St. 31 - 21
Awesome Question:
1) What's your absolute favorite beer? (Bob, if you say Coors Light because it's from Colorado you are dead to me)
Bob: Coors Original! Because it is from Colorado America
Ash: This is tough; I actually really enjoy trying new and weird beers. An absolute favorite is tough: there's a brewery down here called 'No Label' with the best hefeweizen, called 'El Hefe.' (You see what they did there?) For a beer that people have a chance of actually tasting, I'll go with New Belgium's Ranger IPA. I guess my absolute favorite is my go-to beer: Fat Tire. I've never had a bad one, and it's the beer I always come back to; it's a 'first-time, best-time, every-time' kind of beer for me.
David: Either Sunshine Wheat or Shocktop
Jon: This is a hard one for me because I like a lot of beers, especially those with a lot of hops. For that reason I'll go with Twisted Pine's Hoppy Boy, at least for the time being.