The eternal question, isn't it? You know it's mostly going to be the same game, that it's going to have some infuriating bugs, that it is eventually going to break your spirit and leave you in the fetal position going "no, no, no." But... you're probably still going to buy it, junkie.
Well, if you can hold of the Fanhouse will be going full-force with a multi-party liveblog starting at 5 PM. Every Fanhouser that gets his sweaty paws on the game will be posting impressions of all sorts; if you couldn't resist, junkie, you can offer up your opinions as well. Interesting comments will be posted for general consumption.
For now, you can check Bill Abner's blog for advanced impressions. Abner's had the game for a couple weeks now and has been a busy man since. I've summarized Abner's posts on the home blog; Operation Sports also has an excellent "should you buy it" article that assembles the opinions of their message boarders with game in hand. The main points of all these things:
there are major problems with roster editing, which could be a gamekilling bug for some
gameplay is supposedly much more fun, though slanted heavily towards offense on default settings
kick returns are stupidly easy
EA is promising patches
The upshot: according to Operation Sports, "the reaction is cautiously positive."
Maybe this is the year EA stops implementing irritating features that detract from the game's realism and make Kinnick Stadium a house of horrors for anyone who dares cross its threshold? (don't ask; I don't want to talk about it. I hate the fictional representation of that place with the white hot fury of a thousand suns.) Well, probably not. But those graphics are pretty freakin' sweet. Also, this year they've finally (finally!) implemented a feature that anyone who rocks Dynasty mode will much appreciate:
Campus Legend makes great use of the new Super Sim feature that allows you to skip single plays or to the next change of possession. You can still watch every play from the sideline through the eyes of your legend, but you can also skip ahead to the next time he takes the field. Super Sim is available in every game, which will come in handy during Dynasty mode when you want to get your second stringers on the field to mop up.
Finally! The last time I played NCAA seriously, and by "seriously" I mean "what day is it? What is this sleep? Why do I have an IV in my arm?", I got sick of finishing out 40-80 point blowouts against Eastern Michigan (and, yes, hideous Heisman-level blowouts at the hands of Iowa) and eventually drifted back into real life, in which I am not the coach of the six-time national champ Indiana Hoosiers. And nobody likes that.
NFL scouts think they know him, but they're wrong ...
Dwayne Jarrett: junior receiver, USC
WHAT NFL SCOUTS ARE SAYING
Pro Football Weekly: Creates a lot of mismatches with his size and possesses deceptive speed. Has beaten Richard Marshall and Leon Hall vertically. Has enough speed to escape defenders after the catch. Deceptive speed --- strides like a quarter-miler in the open field. Runs well in his pads. Flagged some routes. Does not have great speed and is not explosive off the line of scrimmage. Has nearly everything scouts seek in a pro receiver and has consistently risen to the occasion when the game is on the line. Needs to become a better worker to realize his potential.
Street and Smith's: Deceptive speed. Knows how to set up the defender. Creates separation. Will go across the middle and make the tough catch in traffic. Very reliable hands. Contributes as a downfield blocker. Long strider, lacks blazing speed. A big and powerful receiving weapon who can catch the badly thrown ball and should be a marvelous red-zone weapon. He is not a burner. PROBABLY GETTING DRAFTED ...
If there's a team out there that covets and knows how to utilize his unique physical gifts and understands that he's faster than he times, he might slip into the top 10. If not, anywhere else in the first or early second round seems more likely.
GUY WHO WATCHED HIM FOR FOUR THREE YEARS IS SAYING
The NFL and many observers have it dead wrong about his speed. He timed out exactly as I expected at his pro day, running a respectable 4.6 in the 40-yard-dash. Tall, rangy guys like Jarrett simply aren't built to run 4.3's and 4.4's. Only a freak like Calvin Johnson has that ability. What would be a red flag is if he'd run in the mid-4.7's which is still a suitable (but not first round) speed for someone that big. What Jarrett is, is a very productive receiver who plays fast (note the "runs well in his pads" above), has stunning hands and is a scoring machine.
The NFL is not what we might consider a creative or innovative league so a great many teams may be too lazy or incompetent to utilize his unique gifts at his position. If he ends up on such a team he could flop especially since he's not a four-year college player with more refined skills. That said, Jarrett should find his way in the league thanks to an unteachable ability to make acrobatic catches and score in the red zone. He has beaten many future NFL corners in college with supposedly bad wheels and should continue to do so in a 10-year career in the NFL. Sorry, No Photos
"I love coming to Nashville. There's not another race track I'd rather win at. My sister lives here, I've got family here, It's fun."
The former Vanderbilt linebacker always enjoyed the thrill of competition and now lives it every day in the "ultra-competitive world of motorsports." He draws parallels between competition on the gridiron and the racetrack:
"It's teamwork. Like a pit crew, there's seven guys that go over the wall. They've got to operate like an offense or defense in football. The jack man is like the quarterback."
Fitz, who owns Fitz Motorsports with his wife Mimi Sabates, sits just outside the Top 15 in owner points and heads to Music City with 2002 NCTS Champion and Cup driver Mike Bliss behind the wheel of the #22 Dodge and one immediate goal:
"We want to take home one of the [Gibson] guitars for our trophy case as well and know we have an excellent shot of doing just that."
His ultimate goal: The big leagues--a Nextel Cup team by 2009.
Coming off a solid true freshman season at Kansas State, quarterback Josh Freeman has upsized to a hefty 255-pounds. He played the 2006 season at roughly 6-6, 238 pounds. With that height, I don't doubt that Freeman has the frame to carry his current weight, but where will the coaching staff draw the line? Right now head coach Ron Prince is too busy comparing him to potential No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell.
"I hear people talk about this JaMarcus Russell from LSU and how big he is," Prince said. "If JaMarcus Russell and Josh Freeman stood next to each other right now, they'd probably look very similar."
Sure. And if I stand next Brad Pitt and you squint your eyes real hard, we too, probably look very similar. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it so.
Despite possible girth-related issues, Freeman should have a lock on the quarterback spot for the Wildcats. He will be looking to improve on a freshman campaign that saw him complete just over 50% of his passes with a touchdown to interception ratio of 6 to 15. Freeman is also expected to take on more of a leadership role.
"Josh has been a good leader. He's really been focused," Prince said. "He's going to be a sophomore next year, but he's excited to do and play like a senior."
Cornhusker kicker Jordan Congdon, who made a name for himself as a Freshman, earning Freshman All-Big 12 and Freshman All-American nods is looking to transfer out of Omaha.
Tops on his list: the University of Southern California, though word on the street is he'll take a look at Cal-Berkeley before making a final decision.
Following the suspension of kicker Troy Van Blarcom and the tragic death of place kicker Mario Danelo, the Trojans are in dire need of help on Special Teams.
After suffering multiple season-ending setbacks, USC fullback Brandon Hancock was cleared by the NCAA for s sixth year of eligibility.
The blogger broke the news to the San Gabriel Valley Trojan Club this week, stating, "Many of you have been asking about my future plans and I can say that the paperwork was finalized by the NCAA and they have approved my application for a sixth year of eligibility. I'm still waiting to get a further medical evaluation on my knee to see what kind of possible long-term effects there would be for me to play."
Expect to follow Brandon's story through the 2007 season on his weblog.
It's like adolescent kids trying to slow dance and walking all over each other's feet. Except without the hormones and awkwardness. Or friendliness, for that matter.
The latest: USC and Arizona State have bumped their 2007 battle to Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving.
That runs right up against the NFL's football monopoly. Hmm...
The reasoning is sound as the Pac-10 is looking to move all its rivalry games to Dec. 1 of next year, but it makes you wonder. The NFL has given NCAA football deference on Saturdays, electing to not schedule Saturday games until the regular season is over. But there's also been a gradual creep of NFL games into the midweek Thursday night slot (and sometimes other nights). That's long been the territory of college football.
For its part, college football is now scheduling games almost every day of the week not named Monday. A flurry of articles were published last year about this, suggesting that high school football is made to suffer most as middle aged adults are ditching the high school stadiums for the recliner, a six pack and a handful of NCAA games.
Can you feel the tension?
Oh, and in the photo the evil robot represents the NFL and the pretty girl represents the NCAA. That should be obvious but just in case...
The eternal question, isn't it? You know it's mostly going to be the same game, that it's going to have some infuriating bugs, that it is eventually going to break your spirit and leave you in the fetal position going "no, no, no." But... you're probably still going to buy it, junkie.
Seven-year NASCAR Busch owner Armando Fitz loves 
Coming off a solid true freshman season at Kansas State, 
After suffering multiple season-ending setbacks, USC fullback Brandon Hancock was cleared by the NCAA for s sixth year of eligibility.
It's like adolescent kids trying to slow dance and walking all over each other's feet. Except without the hormones and awkwardness. Or friendliness, for that matter.
