NFL/NCAA Battle of the Conferences: Round 2 Begins
We are on to round two! The Big 10 and the ACC both dominated their opponents in the first round 4-1. Now they meet one another. The last time there was a battle between these two conferences, Duke beat Indiana in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 26th. Before we continue, here is a reminder of the teams:
ACC
Big10
This time, were are going to make things a bit more interesting. The same will go for the final round. In this round, we are directly going to compare each position group against the opposing team. Since there are 13 total groups, there could not be a tie. Unless two groups are just perfectly equal in every way.
Quarterback
Advantage: Tom Brady
Matt Ryan has been great for the Falcons in the post-Michael Vick era. He is a great passer. The problem is that he is very stagnant in the pocket. Tom Brady is a proven winner. The four-time Super Bowl champ has done the job with countless combinations of players at every skill position. Even though he is on the wrong side of 35, he can still play better and is more trusted under center than half of the starters in the league.
Running Back
Advantage: McCoy & Freeman
Le'Veon is one of the top backs in the league, no doubt. If were were comparing the top guys, he would win. But this is a unit battle. Langford kept the ball warm for Forte, but the rumor is that he may not have the starting job come week one. He may lose it to rookie Jordan Howard. McCoy has been one of the top guys in the league. He is shifty in the backfield and can make people miss, resulting in a huge gain. Freeman has the speed and open-field agility to take any run to the house. His frame makes it possible to still run over safeties, but does not lose speed.
Wide Receivers
Advantage: Hopkins, Thomas, & Fitzgerald
Ginn was considered a bust for being drafted so high (7th overall). Robinson has turned into the Jags top target. Decker is one of the best WR2 in the league. Only one of these guys is a true number one though. Hopkins, Thomas, and Fitzgerald are all number ones. Hopkins was third in receiving yards last year. Thomas and Fitzgerald were seventh and ninth. These guys make or brake their teams. This is the unit you want to be throwing to, hands down.
Tight End
Advantage: Jimmy Graham
While last season may not have been his greatest due to injury, Graham is still a top-five tight end. He did it with the Saints for years. Now he is has one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. Davis' time has come and gone. He was great. Graham is just better.
Offensive Tackle
Advantage: Scherff & Smith
Scherff and Smith were great in their rookie year. They both contributed to the resurgence of their team's run game. Scherff helped pave the way for fellow rookie Matt Jones to break-out. Smith contributed to the comeback year for Doug Martin in Tampa. Flowers and Monroe have some flaws. Monroe is too injury prone, he is not reliable. Flowers had a sub-par rookie year. Though, it still did not help the Giants establish a run game.
Offensive Guard
Advantage: Incognito & Sirles
Incognito is a top three guard in the league today. Sirles has his moments, but Incognito lifts the guard position for the Big 10 above the ACC. Thompkins rarely saw the field his rookie year. Sweezy is decent. He contributed greatly to the Seahawks' back-to-back Super Bowl runs. He now faces becoming a leader for the Bucs next season. Filling Logan Mankins shoes may be too much.
Center
Advantage: Travis Fredrick
Fredrick has been in the league for three seasons and is already a two-time Pro-Bowler. Widely regarded as the best center in football. Stork was a great player too. He was sidelined for most of this season, but he is officially the starting center for the Patriots. Stork is also the one of four players to win the College Football National Championship and the Super Bowl in consecutive years. Fredrick is still better due to his control on the best positional group in football: the Dallas Cowboys' Offensive Line.
Checking in at the halfway point, the Big 10 leads the ACC 4-3. It is close, but the defense may turn things around.
Defensive End
Advantage: Watt & Wake
This was an easy pick. Taking the veteran and the three-time defensive player of the year over an elite Ram and a guy with a history of not playing well with others. Williams may have cashed in with Miami, but his former Buffalo teammates did not seem to be high on the former first-rounder. Wake has been playing well for years with the Fins and no one could ever pass up JJ Watt.
Defensive Tackle
Advantage: Donald & Goldman
This was a close one. Suh would have pushed the Big 10 over the top if he had a productive year in Miami. That is not the case. Short is decent as well, but not good enough in this case. Donald is the second best lineman today (behind Watt). He leads the Rams defense, even though he is in his third year now. Goldman was seen as the best defensive tackle from the last draft class. In the 2015 Re-Draft, he is the first tackle taken. His years with the Bears are going to be very lucrative if he keeps it up.
Outside Linebackers
Advantage: Jackson & Hali
Morgan has been injured a lot. He has only played one full season. Timmons is great. A very keen outside linebacker. But Morgan's injury hold them back from the win here. Jackson was second in tackles and 9 pass defenses. Hali did not play much of last year, but his numbers over his career help him more than Morgan.
Middle Linebacker
Advantage: Luke Kuechly
Kuechly is argubly the top middle linebacker today. He can take linemen on up the middle, hit the edges clean if he moves to the outside, and great at pass defense. Kuechly had three pick-sixes this year; two of them in the playoffs against Palmer and Wilson. He's one of the highest paid players in the NFL and he lives up to the paycheck. Bowman is great, but Kuechly is the apex of middle linebackers.
Cornerbacks
Advantage: Revis, Darby, & Rhodes
The most feared corner in the game and a pair of great corners from the Seminoles beat out a crew of corners that are getting close to retirement. Darby is ranked the second best corner from last year's draft class only to Marcus Peters. Rhodes was also seen as second best in his class to Desmond Trufant. Together, the ACC core accumulated 195 tackles, 8 interceptions, and 43 pass defenses.
Safeties
Advantage: Gilchrist & Chancellor
There is only one reason why this was an easy pick. Everyone besides Chancellor is not elite. Chancellor is a ball hawk. He can get anywhere on the field. Speed of a corner and the strength to take down opposing players like a linebacker. Jenkins is inconsistent and Amos is just starting out. Gilchrist provides a decent second safety, but with Chancellor on the field, there's no question.
Well it looks like the ACC takes round two over the Big 10 7-6. Just squeaking out a win due to some major help by the defense. Who will they face in the finals? Will the mid-west Big 12 ride in? Or will the SEC remain dominant and head to the finals? We find out on Monday.
