NCAA Football 2008-2009 Season Talkback

[Katsumara]

Didn't see a thread started for this yet, and as it's my favorite time of the year (Baseball, College Football, NFL... all at the same time? So awesome.) I figured I'd post the preseason polls.

USA Today
1.Georgia (22)
2.USC (14)
3.Ohio State (14)
4.Oklahoma (3)
5.Florida (5)
6.LSU (3)
7.Missouri
8.West Virginia
9.Clemson
10.Texas
11.Auburn
12.Wisconsin
13.Kansas
14.Texas Tech
15.Virginia Tech
16.Arizona State
17.Brigham Young
18.Tennessee
19.Illinois
20.Oregon
21.South Florida
22.Penn State
23.Wake Forest
24.Michigan
25.Fresno State

Others Receiving Votes
Alabama 83, South Carolina 64, Utah 60, Rutgers 53, Florida State 53, Boston College 47, California 41, Pittsburgh 34, Boise State 25, Oregon State 23, Nebraska 17, Cincinnati 13, Virginia 12, Connecticut 9, Michigan State 9, Mississippi State 6, Kentucky 5, Notre Dame 5, TCU 5, Maryland 4, Texas A&M 3, UCLA 3, North Carolina 3, Louisville 2, Georgia Tech 2, UCF 2, Tulsa 1, Oklahoma State 1, Arizona 1, Colorado 1

Love the fact that 4 of the Top 11 teams in the Top 25 are from the SEC. I'm a huge Auburn fan, but I'm super excited for the season.

 

[bigddan11]

I don't usually pay attention to pre-season polls, but I believe Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Clemson are all too high in these ratings. I also think BYU is a bit low considering they only lost 4 starters from last years team.

 

[Punisher]

Yeah, I'll agree Clemson really does not belong up there, but every year they are highly rated and manage to screw up several important games before finally dropping in the polls, and I'm sure this year will be no different.

I'm guessing at least twelve or so of the teams in the current Top 25 poll will be out of it by year's end.

 

[Katsumara]

Well, I'm an Auburn fan, and I don't see how we're #11 exactly. Top 15 maybe, but not 11. New O-Coordinator, D-Coordinator and such.. gonna be tough with our new Spread offense. We get tests early on.

As far as BYU being too low, and Clemson being too high.. I semi-agree here. I don't think BYU is gonna get a good pre-season ranking pretty much ever due to who they play and the conference they are in. Gotta face the facts. Clemson getting highly rated is just due to their scheduling/players returning probably too, but you're right; they'll manage to screw it up. Heck, they might not even beat Alabama, but they should.

Georgia deserves #1 though because they are basically returning the exact same offense as last year, so more experience. I hate Ohio State, but an unbiased opinion thinks they belong in the Top 5, just due to the fact that they to are returning a good bit of starters, have a tough OOC game in USC (Gonna loooose), and are the best of the Big 10.

 

[bigddan11]

Well, I'm an Auburn fan, and I don't see how we're #11 exactly. Top 15 maybe, but not 11. New O-Coordinator, D-Coordinator and such.. gonna be tough with our new Spread offense. We get tests early on.

As far as BYU being too low, and Clemson being too high.. I semi-agree here. I don't think BYU is gonna get a good pre-season ranking pretty much ever due to who they play and the conference they are in. Gotta face the facts. Clemson getting highly rated is just due to their scheduling/players returning probably too, but you're right; they'll manage to screw it up. Heck, they might not even beat Alabama, but they should.

Georgia deserves #1 though because they are basically returning the exact same offense as last year, so more experience. I hate Ohio State, but an unbiased opinion thinks they belong in the Top 5, just due to the fact that they to are returning a good bit of starters, have a tough OOC game in USC (Gonna loooose), and are the best of the Big 10.

Therein lies the problem though. Georgia is returning most of the starters, so I could see them being number 1, but the SEC has been down the last 5 years, not as much as the Pac 10 or Big 10, but they have still been down, and I don't know that being the best team in the most difficult conference makes you number 1. The same goes for Ohio State. I could see them being in the top 15, probably somewhere between 10 and 12, but how many big games have they actually won out of conference in the last 5 years?

On the other hand, BYU is returning all but 2 starters from last years offense that ranked in the top 15 in the nation and all but 2 starters from a defense that was in the top 25 nationwide. Yes, I understand they play in the MWC, but if you look at the non-conference schedule, BYU is regarded as having one of the top 10 hardest non-conference schedules with match-ups in Washington, UCLA, and Utah State. They also tried to get some match-ups against ACC schools, but because they were turned down, then they get Northern Iowa, who is one of the top Division 1-AA (or whatever they are called now), on their schedule. Traditionally match-ups with schools like USC, UCLA, Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Boise State have shown they are willing to play anyone to see exactly how competitive they can be, so why do these top schools always decide to turn away from legit competition?

When I look at the teams ranked above BYU, I believe BYU could beat Texas Tech, Arizona State, Clemson, and maybe Kansas with all the starters they have back. I tend to wonder why they look at returning players for teams in BCS conferences and not teams out of BCS Conferences, because I could easily see BYU being the team that could crash the BCS this year. Please note that I'm not saying this as a fan of theres. I'm saying it because of the number of players they have back and how close their losses were last year. BYU's losses were all by 5 or less points last year, so why wouldn't you give them the benefit of the doubt as to being one of the top 15 teams in the nation?

 

[Anarky]

I'm getting a group together to watch Ok St U face Wa St U @ Qwest Field in Seattle. Seattle's Husky Territory but we'll all be One Voice against the Okies. Oklahomans are not very popular in the NW these days.

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, if Ohio State beats USC, the Buckeyes will probably cruise through the Big 10 again. With the number of starters they're returning on both sides of the ball, for them to be beat they'll probably have to catch the Bucks on a bad and/or unlucky day. Wisconsin and Illinois, projected to finish 2nd and 3rd in the conference, both do get the Bucks at home, and remember the Illini upset Ohio State last year.

My team, Penn State, seems to be, by most experts, to be projected fourth. About right, given everything that's happened this off-season. Best-case scenario: we pull off a repeat of 2005, where a chance to play for the national title was blown by a Michigan TD at the gun. Worst-case scenario: .500 ball. The middle of the Big Ten is so muddled this year, and the Lions aren't afforded any favors by missing both doormats Minnesota and Northwestern. Matching last year's 8-4, 4-4 record would require the Lions do one of the following: avenge the losses to Illinois or Michigan State, or finally beat Michigan (with Rich Rodriguez missing a QB that fits his system in his first year, this might be our best chance).

I like where Georgia sits, though. A lot of returnees from that team that finished really strong last season, including that demolishment of Colt Brennan and the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii. Once again, we have a team from the SEC that's guaranteed a berth in the national title game if they can just survive their schedule.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's Missouri and Oklahoma for the Big 12 title again.

And I'm sure Tommy Bowden really wants to win an ACC title. It's his best chance... let's hope his team doesn't let him down again. He's had too many heartbreaks.

USC'll will the Pac-10 again, but I think again expect one in-conference loss. Don't know who it'll be this year. (If history holds to form, it's a team you don't expect to beat them. Oregon State two years ago, Stanford last year. I say Washington this year - still won't save Ty Willingham, though, I bet.)

West Virginia still has the tools to win the Big East as long as Pat White's behind center. Though I'm sure South Florida, Connecticut, and Rutgers will all have their say.

And I agree that BYU has the best shot at being this year's BCS-buster, if they can get past Washington (on the road) and UCLA and the season finale at Utah that'll probably decide the Mountain West. I hear some buzz for Fresno State to make it three years in a row for the WAC to crash the BCS. Unfortunately, they open at Rutgers and then host Wisconsin. They can pull it off, but still... ouch.

 

[Katsumara]

Therein lies the problem though. Georgia is returning most of the starters, so I could see them being number 1, but the SEC has been down the last 5 years, not as much as the Pac 10 or Big 10, but they have still been down, and I don't know that being the best team in the most difficult conference makes you number 1. The same goes for Ohio State. I could see them being in the top 15, probably somewhere between 10 and 12, but how many big games have they actually won out of conference in the last 5 years?

On the other hand, BYU is returning all but 2 starters from last years offense that ranked in the top 15 in the nation and all but 2 starters from a defense that was in the top 25 nationwide. Yes, I understand they play in the MWC, but if you look at the non-conference schedule, BYU is regarded as having one of the top 10 hardest non-conference schedules with match-ups in Washington, UCLA, and Utah State. They also tried to get some match-ups against ACC schools, but because they were turned down, then they get Northern Iowa, who is one of the top Division 1-AA (or whatever they are called now), on their schedule. Traditionally match-ups with schools like USC, UCLA, Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Boise State have shown they are willing to play anyone to see exactly how competitive they can be, so why do these top schools always decide to turn away from legit competition?

When I look at the teams ranked above BYU, I believe BYU could beat Texas Tech, Arizona State, Clemson, and maybe Kansas with all the starters they have back. I tend to wonder why they look at returning players for teams in BCS conferences and not teams out of BCS Conferences, because I could easily see BYU being the team that could crash the BCS this year. Please note that I'm not saying this as a fan of theres. I'm saying it because of the number of players they have back and how close their losses were last year. BYU's losses were all by 5 or less points last year, so why wouldn't you give them the benefit of the doubt as to being one of the top 15 teams in the nation?

Are you kidding? Are you talking about seeing Georgia at 10 or 12? or Ohio State? If you're talking about Georgia then you must be kidding. How can the best team in the best conference not mean you don't deserve the #1 ranking? And what do you mean the SEC is down? They've won the last two national championships, and possibly could have been three, but Auburn got locked out of the National Championship game after going 13-0. They should've played USC in the NC Game that year, not Oklahoma.

Sure, BYU may have had a Top 15 offense, and a top 25 defense, but hello? They weren't exactly playing the best competition. You're being too biased for your team here. Even I'm not that biased against Auburn. I'll go and say how bad they may suck, which they did last year offensively, but they had a Top 10 defense in the Nation (against the teams they played) allowing only about 16.5 points a game. If BYU were in the SEC... hell, if BYU were in the Big 10 or Pac-10, they wouldn't have been as good.

Yes, I understand they play in the MWC, but if you look at the non-conference schedule, BYU is regarded as having one of the top 10 hardest non-conference schedules with match-ups in Washington, UCLA, and Utah State.

And that's why. If you're comparing what the SEC, Pac-10, Big 12, and such play against compared to the Mountain West Conference, and out of conference games against the likes of UCLA (struggled), Utah State (It's Utah State..) and Washington (who struggled at the end), then you're nuts. When the next best teams in your division are Air Force, New Mexico, and Utah... then you know you're outmatched. It's just the facts of college football. Heck, I would've been the first to tell you that Hawaii didn't deserve to be in the Sugar Bowl, and you see why. They were just overmatched.

I do think they could beat Texas Tech, mainly because TTech has no defense to speak of. They might be able to hang with Arizona State for a while, but they have an electric offense. Clemson is a maybe, but I don't know. They have some good running backs, and I think Kansas is extremely overrated this year. KU will definitely be a big bust in my opinion.

Either way, why not give BYU the benifit of the doubt? Face it. Their conference is pretty much a joke. Put them in the Big 10, ACC, SEC, Pac 10, and they don't finish 10-2. Put Auburn, Florida, LSU, or any of those in the MWC, and I can almost guarantee they either go undefeated or lose one. I'm not trying to be a fanboy here by any means as I'd like to go into sportscasting someday, and I believe in having unbiased opinions, but I can't believe you're comparing BYU's scheduling to others.

Now to get things straight, did you mean what games have Ohio State won in the past 5 years that were big and out of conference, or Georgia? Just needed to clear that up, because if it's Ohio State, then I agree. They've been lucky to be in such an easy conference (other than Penn State sometimes, Michigan sometimes, and Wisconsin.) It's hard to go undefeated in the SEC and Big 12 mainly because they beat the crap out of each other. That's why sometimes, they get softies in the out of conference. They need their rest. BYU gets to rest against Northern Iowa, Wyoming, UNLV, Colorado State, etc. D: I think BYU deserves their ranking, but no higher.

 

[bigddan11]

Are you kidding? Are you talking about seeing Georgia at 10 or 12? or Ohio State? If you're talking about Georgia then you must be kidding. How can the best team in the best conference not mean you don't deserve the #1 ranking? And what do you mean the SEC is down? They've won the last two national championships, and possibly could have been three, but Auburn got locked out of the National Championship game after going 13-0. They should've played USC in the NC Game that year, not Oklahoma.

Sure, BYU may have had a Top 15 offense, and a top 25 defense, but hello? They weren't exactly playing the best competition. You're being too biased for your team here. Even I'm not that biased against Auburn. I'll go and say how bad they may suck, which they did last year offensively, but they had a Top 10 defense in the Nation (against the teams they played) allowing only about 16.5 points a game. If BYU were in the SEC... hell, if BYU were in the Big 10 or Pac-10, they wouldn't have been as good.

Yes, I understand they play in the MWC, but if you look at the non-conference schedule, BYU is regarded as having one of the top 10 hardest non-conference schedules with match-ups in Washington, UCLA, and Utah State.

And that's why. If you're comparing what the SEC, Pac-10, Big 12, and such play against compared to the Mountain West Conference, and out of conference games against the likes of UCLA (struggled), Utah State (It's Utah State..) and Washington (who struggled at the end), then you're nuts. When the next best teams in your division are Air Force, New Mexico, and Utah... then you know you're outmatched. It's just the facts of college football. Heck, I would've been the first to tell you that Hawaii didn't deserve to be in the Sugar Bowl, and you see why. They were just overmatched.

I do think they could beat Texas Tech, mainly because TTech has no defense to speak of. They might be able to hang with Arizona State for a while, but they have an electric offense. Clemson is a maybe, but I don't know. They have some good running backs, and I think Kansas is extremely overrated this year. KU will definitely be a big bust in my opinion.

Either way, why not give BYU the benifit of the doubt? Face it. Their conference is pretty much a joke. Put them in the Big 10, ACC, SEC, Pac 10, and they don't finish 10-2. Put Auburn, Florida, LSU, or any of those in the MWC, and I can almost guarantee they either go undefeated or lose one. I'm not trying to be a fanboy here by any means as I'd like to go into sportscasting someday, and I believe in having unbiased opinions, but I can't believe you're comparing BYU's scheduling to others.

Now to get things straight, did you mean what games have Ohio State won in the past 5 years that were big and out of conference, or Georgia? Just needed to clear that up, because if it's Ohio State, then I agree. They've been lucky to be in such an easy conference (other than Penn State sometimes, Michigan sometimes, and Wisconsin.) It's hard to go undefeated in the SEC and Big 12 mainly because they beat the crap out of each other. That's why sometimes, they get softies in the out of conference. They need their rest. BYU gets to rest against Northern Iowa, Wyoming, UNLV, Colorado State, etc. D: I think BYU deserves their ranking, but no higher.

I'm going to have to refute you here on a few points. When BYU scheduled UCLA, Washington, and Utah State, UCLA was #3 in the Pac-10 and #16 in the nation, Washnigton was #2 in the Pac 10 and #8 in the nation, and Utah State was #2 in the WAC and #30 in the nation, having just come off an impressive year where there only conference loss was to Boise State. I understand that teams can't play consistently due to recruiting, but they still have one of the top 10 most difficult non-conference schedules every year. Are you trying to tell me that teams like Texas and Oklahoma who play North Texas or even Florida State and Miami who play Florida International are scheduling harder contests?

As far as the MWC, this is the very conference that just two years ago they were talking about being stronger than the Big East, a BCS Conference, on a consistent basis. The only team last year that wasn't flirting with the possibility of a bowl game was Wyoming. This is the same conference that sent the first non-BCS Conference school to a BCS Game (Utah), which they won, and this is the same conference that Boise State is looking at possibly moving into. Sorry, but your arguement about them not having tough competition would be null-and-void based on them having Utah, BYU, and TCU (which you seem to have forgotten about all together) every year as the three teams that are better than the rest solely because of recruiting. That's no different than the SEC where Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee are typically better than the rest of the conference. Then you have your second tier teams, in the case of the MWC them being New Mexico, Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado State, San Diego State, and UNLV. I didn't say they were better than the SEC, or any other BCS conference, but they are still regarded as being no lower than #7 in terms of a conference every year, and they've been as high as #4 just three-years ago and have been the conference that always gives the Big 10 their hardest non-conference games.

As far as the offense and defense, this is the same BYU team that last year nearly beat UCLA in Los Angeles (27-17 with UCLA having to get an interception, which they returned for a TD, in the last 2 minutes when BYU was at the UCLA 12 yard line and would have won it) and did beat them in the Las Vegas Bowl (17-16 in what was regarded as being one of the best bowl games last season). Heck, it's the same team that finished last years poll at #12. You can't tell me they've dropped 5 spots when they only lost 4 starters and have their QB, RB, TE, top WR, and both CB's back. They are better than you are giving them credit for, just as the MWC is better than you are giving them credit for. The only game BYU might lose is at Washington, and that's solely because it is a road game.

I clearly said what big games have they won in the last 5 years next to Ohio State, so who else would I be talking about? When yuo look at Ohio State, they have won one game in the last 5 years against teams in the Top 10. Colin Cowherd is always pointing out that Ohio State's talent level has declined every year for the last seven years and that Ohio State is even losing games at home to other top teams. How many times have they struggled ni BCS games? Being the best team in a weak conference doesn't give Ohio State the right to be #3 when they are probably once again no better than the 10-12 range.

In the Big 12 this year, I actually think you will have Texas Tech be the surprise representative from the south. Their two hardest conference games (Oklahoma and Texas) are both home games this year, and this is a Tech team that did beat OU at home just two years ago. In the North, I believe it will be a battle between Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. This is a Buffs team that beat OU a year ago and has most of their talent back. They've been improving every year for the last 6 years, and with 7 or 8 wins, 5 of which would be in conference play, they will contend for the Big 12 North title.

 

[bigddan11]

You know, there is still something missing from this talkback, and it looks like this:

 

[Katsumara]

Edited the first post to add the banner then.

I won't go into your points you made in your previous post just yet as I'm about to watch this preseason game, but I'll do it later> I do admit you make some points, but I feel I make some as well. Anyway, we'll get into it later.

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Bumped for kickoff night of the 2008-09 NCAA Football Season!

The season is hours from getting underway - though it won't feel like it with so, so many 1-A teams hosting 1-AA teams to open up. And being Labor Day weekend, you've got five nights/three days of gridiron glory to sift through. Will there be any upsets? Will someone's national championship hopes die in Week One?

My top picks for the games you should watch this weekend:
Three - Appalachian State at #6 LSU, Saturday at 5 pm on ESPN
Three-time defending champions of 1-AA, meet the defending champions of 1-A. It should be fairly obvious that LSU losing to App St would be hundreds of times worse than Michigan's loss to App St last season. Obvious enough that Les Miles should be fired at the gun if it should happen. Despite the questions at QB the Tigers have, Miles is probably the gutsiest coach in college football right now. Forget getting fired... if Miles loses, he should just quit coaching, period, because a loss here will be remembered more than the national championship banner they'll probably be showing off in the pre-game. Miles is the last coach I'd expect to get his team to embarrass themselves. LSU wins, going away in the second half.

Two - #19 Illinois vs. # 7 Missouri in St. Louis, Saturday at 8:30 pm on ESPN
Ron Zook has made the Fighting Illini relevant in the Big Ten again after one spectacular season. Missouri has to be miffed that they rightfully deserved a BCS bid last season, and the Rose Bowl gave it to Illinois instead. Although Missouri's greatest rival may be Kansas, Illinois is now a close second. With both squads expected to contend in their respective conferences, who will come out on top? Give the edge to Mizzou, who has had more experience in winning games against top tier games. Illinois is getting there, but they've got to keep being competitive in the Big Ten before they're considered national title contenders. Missouri by a touchdown.

Game of the Week - Alabama vs. #9 Clemson in Atlanta, Saturday at 8 pm on ABC
Clemson is picked to win a weak ACC, in which only Virginia Tech is expected to challenge them. Alabama must evolve in an SEC West that seems to be getting tighter and tighter. Clemson has, season after season, had high expectations doused by inconsistency. Alabama was the one of the most talked about teams at mid-season, then they collapsed down the stretch. Tommy Bowden's Tigers should win, though a loss won't sink their hopes for winning the ACC instantly. Unless the Crimson Tide roll big. Then the whole nation can scream Clemson's 'overrated.' Clemson over Alabama, by a little over a touchdown.

Penn State's Game - vs. Coastal Carolina, Saturday at 12 noon
The 22nd-ranked Nittany Lions open the season by playing... the Chanticleers. Wait a minute... the what? What the heck is a Chanticleer? Apparently, it's a fiesty rooster, derivative of the University of South Carolina's nickname. Whatever. We're supposed to be debuting a new spread-like offense this season, but most people around Happy Valley think JoePa won't show much of it here. There'll be a proper debut when Oregon State drops in next week. The rebuilding Beavers are expected to be the Lions' toughest non-conference opponent this year... and that's not saying much. Penn State wins by at least four touchdowns.

 

[bigddan11]

How on Earth can you put Appalachin State vs. LSU on your list? Yes, State did pull the big upset last year over a weak Michigan team, but LSU will probably be up by double digits in the first half, so I wouldn't put it on a must watch list. How about a Pac 10 game in week 1: 25) Oregon State vs. Stanford. You also have a Baylor team that people are saying could be the most improved team in NCAA taking on 23) Wake Forest in a nationally broadcast game on FSN. SMU and Rice kick off Conference USA play on Friday night. Heck, you have Utah trying to prove they are a legit team this year at Michigan in week 1 and Hawaii tries to rebound from last years blowout BCS loss at 5) Florida. All those are more compelling to me than Appalachin vs. LSU. If I wanted to throw in my personal biase, I would put 16) BYU vs. Northern Iowa above them all, but I don't expect it to be much better than Appalachin vs. LSU.

 

[Tommy Lawson]

My top picks for the games you should watch this weekend:
Three - Appalachian State at #6 LSU, Saturday at 5 pm on ESPN

The kickoff time has been changed to 11 am ET today because of Hurricane Gustav. Regarding television coverage, from ESPN.com:

The game, which originally was scheduled to be on ESPN, now will be aired on ESPN Classic and also shown on ESPN360.com.

 

[Kitschensyngk]

As you all may recall, after a decade of mediocrity, the Kansas Jayhawks pulled off a phenomenal football season last year, turning in a 11-1 regular season record (best in school history) which culminated in a trip to Miami and a victory in the Orange Bowl.

Now that a new season is upon us, I'm a little curious how they're gonna top a year like that.

I imagine giving Missouri a good thrashing would help significantly.

 

[RedNinja84]

Being a cincinnati alum I'm happy to see this program finally turn around. I'm lokoing forward to next week when US plays Oklahoma. I felt UC got screwed last year out of a good bowl game and hoping that this year they can compete for the Big East title. I know West Virginia is still the team to beat but I'd like to seee how they do without Rodriguez there. I'm probably one of the few that follows the Big East but I still love watching the SEC. To me its the best conference in football. And there is also the plus that Time Warner got the deal done so now I have the Big 10 channel

 

[bigddan11]

Well, every Big Conference had a school lose to a smaller conference on the first weekend. It's no surprise that the polls have been shaken up as a result. USC is now #1 in both polls, and BYU has gained a little more respect, moving from 16 to a tie for 15 in the AP and from 17 to 15 in the coaches. Joining BYU in the poll is conference rival Utah, now 22/24, and TCU at 35/ 38. Clemson dropped out of the top 25 AP poll and is barely in by 1 point in the Coaches.

As for Top 25 showdowns, we have a possible one occuring in Week 3. 23/ 26 UCLA is at 15/ 15 BYU in a Versus nationally broadcast game on September 12. Of course first BYU has to get by Washington this Saturday in a nationally broadcast game on FSN.

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Three - Appalachian State at #6 LSU, Saturday at 5 pm on ESPN

How on Earth can you put Appalachin State vs. LSU on your list? Yes, State did pull the big upset last year over a weak Michigan team, but LSU will probably be up by double digits in the first half, so I wouldn't put it on a must watch list. How about a Pac 10 game in week 1: 25) Oregon State vs. Stanford. You also have a Baylor team that people are saying could be the most improved team in NCAA taking on 23) Wake Forest in a nationally broadcast game on FSN. SMU and Rice kick off Conference USA play on Friday night. Heck, you have Utah trying to prove they are a legit team this year at Michigan in week 1 and Hawaii tries to rebound from last years blowout BCS loss at 5) Florida. All those are more compelling to me than Appalachin vs. LSU. If I wanted to throw in my personal biase, I would put 16) BYU vs. Northern Iowa above them all, but I don't expect it to be much better than Appalachin vs. LSU.

Well, my hope was Appalachian State would at least still be in it at halftime. But I guess Les Miles and LSU didn't want that happening. Meh...

Utah-Michigan wasn't all that exciting despite the score. I'm a little surprised Utah was so dominant in that game, and Michigan was only in it in the fourth quarter because the Utes made so many mistakes.

Another suggestion that I should've put on the watch list last week... Virginia Tech-ECU. I kinda chalked up the ommission to Tech being affected by the tragedy last year and being sluggish in that first game. Was expecting better from the Hokies this season in their opener. But ECU looked good. They're a favorite in Conference USA, aren't they?

Clemson is overrated. There. I said it. Pittsburgh is a close second.

Never thought Rutgers would be so anemic after Ray Rice graduated.

More ACC suckage... Maryland and North Carolina sweated it out against FCS opponents. Geese, the ACC really is the weakest BCS conference by far this season, huh? (Meanwhile, Duke scores 31 points in a win. Seriously... when's the last time Duke did that in a single game? And this is against a top-tier FCS team in James Madison.)

SEC's the best, as usual, but Mississippi State losing on the road at Louisiana Tech and Arkansas barely edging FCS opponent Western Illinois - does raise an eyebrow or two.

In good news... I wished I saw the Illinois-Missouri game, which was even more exciting than last year's shootout, in which team didn't have nearly as high expectations. Did see the UCLA-Tennessee second half, which was a thrilling game. Anyone who can throw 4 INTs in the first half and then come back in the second half and overtime to win is a good QB. Helps that he had a coach in Rick Neuheisel who believed in him. This looks like a UCLA team that can definitely compete with crosstown rival USC and the best of the Pac-10.

All I have to say about Tennessee is... blame the kicker.

Oh, and Penn State beat Coastal Carolina 66-10. Nothing more needs to be said.

Too bad this coming week doesn't look all that exciting...

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Ready for Week Two, folks?

I kinda revised how I'm gonna do picks. I'm going to limit selections to games which have a point spread of 10 or less. This means I should be focused on the games which are expected to be close. I tell you, it was a doozy this week and I just managed to find three games that qualify that should be good/great. It should get better once pretty much everyone plays in-conference games. Thankfully, not as many 1-AA teams on the schedule this week.

I will say that though there are only three good/great games this week, it was extremely tough picking the order. They were all very, very close.

Prediction Record for Week One: 2-1
Prediction Record for the Season: 2-1
(Note: Does not count Penn State games unless in the 'Top 3 to watch')

My top picks for the games you should watch this weekend:
Three - #8 West Virginia at East Carolina, Saturday at 4:30 pm on ESPN
(Side Note: Game could be affected by Tropical Storm Hanna)
I almost didn't select this game for the list. West Virginia still has Pat White. They should roll easily, right? Not so fast. Unlike last week, this is an actual home game for the Pirates. East Carolina has a defense that has the potential to give the Mountaineers fits. And they are riding high after their 'upset' of Virginia Tech. It may be too early to give ECU an outside chance of being a BCS buster if they get the win here, but it's a good start. West Virginia should win, but there could be a storm a-brewing if the Pirates are still hanging around in the fourth quarter. West Virginia triumphs by a touchdown and a field goal.

Two - #24 South Carolina at Vanderbilt, Thursday (Tonight) at 8:30 pm on ESPN
Let's be honest... this SEC East match-up won't determine who will represent the division in the conference title game in December. It will, though, go a long way towards determining who has a better shot of finishing above .500 overall. Vandy actually won this game last year, the first time Vandy had beaten any team coached by Steve Spurrier. That upset came with South Carolina entering the game at 6-1. In other words, it was the first of the five straight games Spurrier's team lost to end last season. I don't think Vandy gets it done in back-to-back years, but SC really, really needs to make sure they're not thinking ahead to next week's game at home against national title contender Georgia. South Carolina by about a field goal or so.

Game of the Week - #15 BYU at Washington, Saturday at 3 on Fox Sports Net
Let's be honest, part two... in any other week, this game would be middle-of-the-pack at best. Not because BYU is not a BCS school, but because Washington just isn't that good. Honestly, I wish BYU was playing UCLA this week because that would be a great game worthy of the top spot. Unfortunately, that's next week, and there are enough marquee games that the BYU-UCLA game may not even be in my Top 3 next week despite the huge implications. If there's any need to worry, I heard the Cougars looked a little sluggish against Northern Iowa last week. Maybe the Huskies do enough to keep the score close, but credit that to BYU ironing out the last few bugs before the 'big one' next week. BYU wins by about a dozen.

Penn State's Game - vs. Oregon State, Saturday at 3:30 pm on ABC
Now it's time to get serious. The 19th-ranked Nittany Lions toughest non-conference opponent this year is Oregon State. That's right... the Beavers are coming to Beaver Stadium. The Beavers have in recent years become relevant in the Pac-10, thanks to some big victories. Two years ago, they upset then-third-ranked USC. Last year, they stopped then-second-ranked Cal. Penn State is favored by more than two touchdowns, but this game smells of an upset if the Lions aren't careful. Look for a possibility of this being a defensive struggle. Penn State has more offensive weapons, and this is a chance for a good test of the new spread offense. If it faulters, can the PSU running game pick up the slack? It'll be five years to the day since the Lions last lost to a non-conference opponent at home (Boston College in '03). I say Penn State pulls it out, setting up for a 4-0 run to the conference opener against Illinois in three weeks. Give Penn State the W by a touchdown.

 

[bigddan11]

Let me quickly point out that BYU's starting RB and 1st WR didn't play last week at all. They were on the sidelines and watched the game, but they didn't play. They will be in the line-up this week.

Here's why this is important for BYU. BYU has lost the last 8 season road openers. Two years ago it was at Arizona. Last year it was at UCLA. Both years BYU went on to go undefeated in the MWC and win the Las Vegas Bowl, but BYU fans are wanting more. A win at Washington will prove to BYU fans that they can win at a big conference school. Furthermore, a win by BYU takes them one step closer to the BYU/ Utah game November 22 that many people are saying could be a battle of undefeateds where the winner goes to a BCS game and the loser goes to the Las Vegas Bowl. A BYU win also sets up a match-up of two Top 25 teams next Saturday in Provo, where BYU hasn't lost in 5 years, against UCLA, a game that will be broadcast nationally on Versus.