The Turkish players will come out with intensity, trying to keep their momentum going, but in the end Croatia’s superior team will prevail.The Netherlands vs. RussiaThe Dutchmen have been by far the most impressive team in this tournament, progressing out of the “Group of Death” with nine goals scored and only one conceded. Goal scoring hasn’t been a problem so far with the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie up top, and the defense is boosted by the presence of world-class keeper Edwin van der Sar.Possessing both talent and momentum, the Dutch would be a tall order for any team.The Russians, on the other hand, have looked much less impressive so far in this competition. They were beat thoroughly (4-1) by Spain their opener, before being gifted a win over the Greeks by virtue of a horrible error by Antonis Nikopolidis.They played solidly against the Swedes in a 2-0 win to see them through to the next round, but against the more talented Dutch squad I just can’t see them coming up with a shocker. I’ll take the Netherlands, possibly by quite a margin.Spain vs. ItalyStop me if this sounds familiar, but the Spanish have easily rolled through the group stages of another major competition, and are looking to get that 1,200 pound monkey off of their backs in the knockout stages.

Their draw, unfortunately, sees them playing the defending world champions.Italy, after beingembarrassed by the Dutch, managed to salvage a draw, courtesy of Gianluigi Buffon’s last-minute penalty save, against Romania in a game which saw the Italians outclassed by the plucky Romanians. Since then, however, they handily defeated France and now look to be surging towards the elimination stages of the tournament.The big questions in this game concern whether Italy can find somebody to score (anemic performances in the first three matches by Luca Toni and Alessandro del Piero aren’t a good sign) and whether Spain will suffer another meltdown in international competition.The answers, to my mind, are yes to the first and no to the second. This one might take extra time or penalties, but I see the Italians going through.SemifinalistsPortugalCroatiathe NetherlandsItaly. Could it be because we have the same first name?Could it be because his fights are always exciting?Could it be because of the beard?There is no doubt about it that this writer loves Evan Tanner as one of his favorite fighters of all time.Tanner’s popularity among certain diehard fans is not easily explained however.Tanner has never defeated top competition and the big names he has defeated have all but faded into mediocrity with the exception of Robbie Lawler. Along with that his run as Middleweight Champion was derailed hardly before it ever got off the ground.But this author will contend that there are several reasons why Tanner should be part of MMA lore.The first is that we got to see a real glimpse at a well rounded game.Tanner cannot be pegged into a certain style. He had good submissions, ground and pound, wrestling, and decent hands.

That being said none of these are phenomenal with maybe the exception of his ground and pound.Secondly he could take a beating.Tanner fights like a junkyard dog. I remember watching the Terrel fight when he took punishment for about two minutes, waiting for an opening. Then bam! He lands the take down and delivers a gorgeous display of ground and pound.Lastly is his “everyman” appeal. Evan Tanner is just a guy who always just seemed appreciative of the opportunity He never let his ego show. This is best contrasted with Phil Baroni in their two duels.Since his plunge into alcoholism Tanner has come back sober and ready to make one last shot at glory. His ring rust showed as Yushin Okami obliterated him.Which leads to his fight this Saturday in which Tanner will be in a do or die battle against Kendal Grove. With each fighter seeming to know that a lose will put them out of the UFC.Look for Tanner to capitalize on Grove’s more than suspect chin.

I expect Grove to maybe take the first round before Tanner fights his chance and puts him away with shot that wobbles Grove and then is proceeded by ground and pound.As big a fan as I am though I also know that the rest of the competition at middleweight will stifle Tanner’s chances at a belt.That is why I’d like to see Tanner make the move to EliteXC where we could see a Robbie Lawler rematch where a real war would almost be a guarantee.. 2.) Texas’ 2008 recruiting class is ranked 14th in the country by Rivals .  How pleased are you with this class and who do you think will be the impact players of the future from it?I like the 2008 class, but on paper it lacks play makers.  Desean Hales has a chance to be a Ramonce Taylor type, and he will need to be to keep John Chiles and Curtis Brown in their respective positions. The biggest need for Texas’ offense is a play maker.  Texas doesn’t need many of them to contribute right away, but the two DTs Humphrey and Randall will be counted on to play some snaps.  I think D.J. Monroe becomes the best player from this class, and the best DB at Texas since Nathan Vasher.  I think he is that good. 3.) Texas opens the season with FAU, UTEP, Arkansas, and Rice.  Are there any non-conference games that scare you this year?The UTEP game scares the crap out of me.

For some reason the UTEP game gives me nightmares.  It reminds me of the Central Florida game from last year.  It will be closer than people will predict and it will have more to do with UTEP being good than Texas playing bad.With Arkansas’ coach and players migrating from the program, I hope Texas can handle them pretty easily. 4.) How realistic is it to think that Texas will win the Big 12 South over Oklahoma this year?  What will it take for this to happen?Even with my orange colored glasses on I don’t see Texas winning the Big 12 South.  Who would have thought replacing Nebraska and Kansas State with Missouri and Kansas would be a bad thing? Combine that with Tech being better (may win Big 12 and be this year’s Kansas), Oklahoma bringing most people back, and the recent problems with A&M, and I don’t see how they pull it off. If they catch a few breaks, they find a deep threat, and the secondary comes together they could surprise me.  I’m hoping they do..  Some people will say he was only an underclassman last year, but as a high school repeat, Myron is much older then the average junior in college this year.  Myron Rolle’s plan was to graduate from Florida State in three years, according to numerous scouting services, before turning pro.This will be the last year of the two five-star players whose high school careers leveraged them into supposedly good college players.Did Mark Sanchez throwing 28 touchdowns in Pop Warner make him ready for a great college career?  Nothing you do before stepping on a college campus should mean anything yet to fans and media it does..  Let’s see, first off this is my first article to write. I’ve been extremely busy with work and really haven’t had time to do an open mic, but this one seemed to catch my eye.Where would the U.S.A.