2013 Mini-Preview

    It has been a very long time since I have posted on here. However, I intend to continue my weekly updates for all of the college football, as I did last season. As the kickoff of the 2013 season begins in a few hours, here is my pre-season top 25 poll, along with a mini-preview for each team.

Top 25

1. Alabama - Poised for another title, someone needs to knock them off.

2. Ohio State - They're on their way, but not quite talented enough to knock off the SEC's best.

3. Oregon - Don't expect many bumps from Kelly's departure.

4. Georgia - Explosive offense will be interesting against the tough defense's in the SEC.

5. Clemson - Ready to break away from underachieving stereotype, dark horse title contender.

6. Texas AM - Off field distractions could derail this team, but should be able to contend.

7. Stanford - Could this be the year? Hopes are high, but championship might be out of reach.

8. South Carolina- While youthful, has experience where it matters most. SEC title dark horse.

9. Louisville - Cupcake schedule will help them, but if not careful will get tripped up.

10. Florida State - Appears to be them and Clemson for the top of the ACC.

11. Michigan - Better than most people think, good chance for BCS bowl berth.

12. LSU - Easily could surprise. Don't count them out vs Alabama.

13. Florida - Will need better QB play to get into BCS. Defense will carry team.

14. Oklahoma State - Out of OU's shadow, OSU is ready to take back the Big 12 title.

15. Notre Dame - Won't be as good as last year, brutal schedule once again.

16. Texas - All offense this year, will look like the rest of the Big 12.

17. Oklahoma - Will look to rebound from a down year.

18. UCLA - Looking to take the next step, Bruins could steal a Pac 12 title if it falls right.

19. Boise State - MWC is tougher, and BSU may find themselves unraked when its over.

20. TCU - Will bounce back from down year and could get a share of Big 12 title.

21. Northwestern - After a great 10-win season, should repeat that total this year.

22. Nebraska - Offense is there, will need defense to step it up after late season collapse.

23. USC - A couple years away, but needs 9+ wins to save Kiffen's job.

24. Oregon State - Could pull surprises, but stuck behind STAN and ORE in Pac 12 North.

25. Wisconsin - After sneaking into Rose Bowl last season, will push on with new coach.


Next 12 In:

26. Michigan State
27. Northern Illinois
28. Kansas State
29. Baylor
30. Virginia Tech
31. Arizona State
32. Washington
33. Miami (FL)
34. Fresno State
35. Vanderbilt
36. Utah State
37. Arizona

College Football Week 7 Recap

    The midway point of the season is past, and the national picture is taking shape as we head into the second half of the season.

    #5 Notre Dame and #19 Stanford went at it in their annual rivalry. In overtime, Notre Dame went up 20-13 with a touchdown on their first possession. Stanford got the ball to the inch line, and it was 4th and goal. Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor appeared to have been stuffed short, and Notre Dame began celebrating. But when the replays started, it looked like Taylor had gotten the ball over the goal line. After review though, the play stood as called and the Irish stayed undefeated.

Stanford RB Stephan Taylor (with ball) during the goal line stand by ND

    #4 West Virginia went to Lubbock, Texas to take on Big 12 foe Texas Tech. Most people expected West Virginia to roll over the Red Raiders, but Texas Tech became the first team to shut down Gino Smith and WVU. Smith still didn't throw his first pick of the season, but they couldn't get the offense going. Texas Tech was able to get their going, and blew out the #4 team in the country 49-14.

    Smith still has remarkable numbers for the season, even after the rough game. He has a 75.3% completion percentage, 25 touchdowns and no interceptions. He still is the Heisman favorite for many people.

    #12 LSU beat #3 South Carolina, creating more parity behind Alabama in the SEC. #18 Mississippi State is still undefeated, and their match up with #1 Alabama in two weeks will decide the SEC West. But LSU is still close behind.


Top 25

1. Alabama 6-0
2. Oregon 6-0
3. Notre Dame 6-0
4. Florida 6-0
5. USC 5-1
6. Ohio State 7-0
7. Kansas State 6-0
8. LSU 6-1
9. South Carolina 6-1 
10. Oklahoma 4-1
11. Georgia 5-1
12. Florida State 6-1
13. Clemson 5-1
14. West Virginia 5-1
15. Oregon State 5-0
16. Mississippi State 6-0
17. Louisville 6-0
18. Rutgers 6-0
19. Texas Tech 5-1
20. Cincinnati 5-0
21. Stanford 4-2
22. Michigan 4-2
23. N.C. State 4-2
24. Arizona State 5-1
25. Texas AM 5-1

Next 6 in:

Texas 4-2
Ohio 7-0
Louisiana Tech 5-1
TCU 5-1
Tulsa 6-1
Northwestern 6-1

Dropped Out:

Texas (#15)
Michigan State (#22)
Louisiana Tech (#25)


What To Watch

#2 Oregon (6-0) @ #24 Arizona State (5-1)
Thursday, 9:00 pm ET, ESPN

Oregon tries to keep their title hopes alive vs a suprising Arizona State squad. The Ducks are just too explosive, and should roll over ASU.

Prediction: Oregon 45 Arizona St 17

#8 LSU (6-1) @ #25 Texas AM (5-1)
12:00 pm ET, ESPN

Texas AM has a huge test this week vs LSU, and if they can stay competitive, they can show doubters that they can play in the SEC. LSU looks to build off a big win vs South Carolina, and should succeed in College Station.

Prediction: LSU 24 TAMU 14

Virginia Tech (4-3) @ #13 Clemson (5-1)
12:00 pm ET, ABC

Virginia Tech has had a bad start to their season and a big upset over Clemson could change that. But Clemson just is too good, and the Tigers should roll over VT.

Prediction: Clemson 37 Virginia Tech 25


#9 South Carolina (6-1) @ #4 Florida (6-0)
3:30 pm ET, CBS

South Carolina has a chance to get back into the title race after a loss at LSU, and a win over Florida would give them a win over the top two teams in the SEC East. A win for Florida confirms their spot as the second best team in the SEC so far. I think South Carolina and their stellar defense will pull it out over the Gators.

Prediction: South Carolina 23 Florida 17


#19 Texas Tech (5-1) @ TCU (5-1)
3:30 pm ET, ABC

Texas Tech was blown out by a powerhouse team a couple of weeks ago in Oklahoma, then blew out a power house team last week vs West Virginia. Can they beat another Big 12 powerhouse? TCU looks to continue their rebound from the Iowa State loss. 

Prediction: TCU 35 Texas Tech 21

#7 Kansas State (6-0) @ #14 West Virginia (5-1)
7:00 pm ET, FOX

The Big 12 is giving us big games every week and has another one here. Kansas State is the only undefeated team left in the Big 12, and most  analysts had them as the fifth best team in the conference this pre-season behind Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, and TCU. Kansas State already have taken down Oklahoma, and have a chance to take down another on their way to the Big 12 title. West Virginia will try to show signs of life after the embarrassing defeat last week, but KSU should win by a small amount. Could see this go either way, however.

Prediction: Kansas State 56 West Virginia 53


Other Predictions:

Houston 41 SMU 37
Syracuse 24 Uconn 20
#6 Ohio State 41 Purdue 24
Oklahoma St. 37 Iowa State 32
#18 Rutgers 30 Temple 21
Wisconsin 39 Minnesota 10
Auburn 24 Vanderbilt 17
#21 Stanford 34 California 21
Boise State 34 UNLV 7
Nebraska 35 Northwestern 27
#3 Notre Dame 28 BYU 3
#17 Louisville 34 South Florida 19
#23 NC State 27 Maryland 13
Tulsa 42 Rice 21
Indiana 35 Navy 10
#5 USC 49 Colorado 7
#11 Georgia 37 Kentucky 24
Duke 23 North Carolina 20
#10 Oklahoma 37 Kansas 17
#16 Mississippi St. 35 Mid Tennessee St. 14
Air Force 28 New Mexico 26
Louisiana Tech 45 Idaho 14
#20 Cincinnati 27 Toledo 24
Texas 48 Baylor 20
Penn State 17 Iowa 13
#12 Florida State 34 Miami (FL) 21
#15 Oregon State 35 Utah 27
Washington 34 Arizona 30
Nevada 35 San Diego St. 17


BCS Bowls Today:

Championship: #1 Alabama vs #2 Oregon

Rose: #5 USC vs #10 Oklahoma

Orange: #12 Florida State vs #17 Louisville 

Fiesta: #7 Kansas State vs #22 Michigan

Sugar: #4 Florida vs #5 Notre Dame

College Football Week 3 Recap

    The College Football season rolls on, and week 3 just wrapped up last weekend.

    We saw #1 USC fall to #21 Stanford, in the second huge upset this season (UL Monroe beating Arkansas was the first). USC will fall in the rankings, but they still can take the PAC 12 crown. The loss was early in the season, and their title hopes are still strong.

Stanford after their upset of #1 USC

    #2 Alabama shut out Arkansas by a score of 52-0. Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson did miss the game, but that is not an excuse to loose by 52 at home. If Arkansas was truly worthy of a #9 preseason ranking, they should be able to compete with Alabama, even with Wilson out. A top 10 team doesn't loose like that at home when only the starting QB is out. Right now, it looks like Arkansas is far from taking down Alabama and LSU in the SEC West.


    #3 Florida State made a statement with a 52-0 beat down over Wake Forest, Utah was able to rebound and beat BYU, and Florida proved they are more powerful than Tennessee in the SEC East. It remains to be seen if they are as good as #8 Georgia and #7 South Carolina, and can reclaim the top of the SEC East.

    #20 Notre Dame visited #9 Michigan State, and embarrassed Sparty in East Lansing. Michigan State was shut down on offense, and there has been a big drop off at QB from Kirk Cousins to Andrew Maxwell. When Le'Veon Bell is unable to run the ball like he was vs Notre Dame, Maxwell is not a reliable option to take the reigns and lead the offense. Having poor WR play doesn't help much either though.

    A very surprising upset was Pittsburgh beating #10 Virginia Tech. Pitt was 0-2, with a bad loss to FCS Youngstown State during week 1, 31-17. During week 2, they lost to Cincinnati 34-10 on Thursday night. Most people had given up on Pitt, but with this upset over VT, the Panthers appear to be back.


Top 25:

1. Alabama 3-0
2. Florida State 3-0
3. LSU 3-0
4. Oklahoma 2-0
5. Oregon 3-0
6. South Carolina 3-0
7. Georgia 3-0
8. Texas 2-0
9. Clemson 3-0
10. West Virginia 2-0
11. USC 2-1
12. Stanford 3-0
13. Notre Dame 3-0
14. Ohio State 3-0
15. TCU 2-0
16. Michigan 2-1
17. Louisville 3-0
18. Michigan State 2-1
19. Kansas State 3-0
20. N.C. State 2-1
21. Northwestern 3-0
22. Florida 3-0
23. Mississippi State 3-0
24. UCLA 3-0
25. Boise State 1-1

Next 5 In: Virginia Tech 2-1, Nebraska 2-1, Utah 2-1, Arizona 3-0, Cincinnati 2-0



What To Watch:

BYU (2-1) @ #25 Boise State (1-1)
9:00pm ET, ESPN 

This will be Boise State's chance to redeem itself after the loss to Michigan State. If they cannot win this game, the Broncos will only prove they are not the same power they were in the past.

Prediction: BYU 28 Boise 16

Missouri (2-1) @ #6 South Carolina (3-0)
3:30pm ET, CBS

Missouri has another chance to show it can hang with the SEC heavy weights. South Carolina can show they deserve a top 10 ranking with a win.

Prediction: South Car 37 Mizz 20

Oregon State (1-0) @ #24 UCLA (3-0)
3:30pm ET, ABC/ESPN2

Both are two teams from the PAC 12 that emerged with multiple week 2 upsets. Oregon State has only played one game, and UCLA has played three. The Beavers may have gotten lucky vs a Wisconsin team that is nowhere near as good as we thought, but Oregon State is still not a very good team. UCLA should roll.

Prediction: UCLA 37 OSU 17

#16 Michigan (2-1) @ #13 Notre Dame (3-0)
7:30pm ET, NBC

This could be the last chance for Michigan to prove they are a BCS-contender. If they loose, they will be written off for the season and be counted as another very disappointing team from the Big Ten this year. Notre Dame has a chance to prove they are back as one of the top teams in the country.

Prediction: ND 28 Mich 20

#19 Kansas State (3-0) @ #3 Oklahoma (2-0)
7:50pm ET, FOX

Both teams have a lot to prove in this game. The Sooners had a shaky game week 1 vs UTEP. They rolled over Florida A& M in week 2, so we have yet to see this team tested. Kansas State can prove they are a BCS contender and not stuck behind Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas for the Big 12 crown. I could see the upset here, but Oklahoma should get the win.

Prediction: OU 36 KSU 30

#9 Clemson (3-0) @ #2 Florida State (3-0)
8:00pm ET, ABC

The first test for FSU. They will have to show they are a title contender with a win over Clemson. Clemson is out to show they are the kings of the ACC. If Florida State can win this, the Seminoles are back to national prominence. This should be close and already has the feels of a classic.

Prediction: FSU 28 Clem 25

   

PAC 12 Preview

    
ACC   Big East   Big 10   Big 12   SEC   Other Conferences   Bowls and Top 50
     
    
    The Pac-12 will be one of the most explosive conferences this year, as many of the teams are built around  a high powered offense.

    USC, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Washington State, Utah, and Arizona could easily put up 35+ points per game, which makes the Pac-12 the most fun conference to watch.

Nickell Robey, USC

    USC is back, after a two-year bowl ban. And they are stronger then they may have ever been. Matt Barkley could be the best QB in Trojan history and they are stacked across the board. They will go 12-0, and will be in the BCS Championship.

    Oregon plays a very easy schedule in the first half of the season, and should be 8-0 heading into a huge showdown in LA on November 3rd vs USC. But, USC is still considerably a better team then Oregon, and the Ducks won't get past USC. They will meet again in the Pac-12 championship, but they won't be able to knock off USC a 2nd time.

    Utah is the third best team in the conference, and certainly one of the most underrated teams in the nation. Stanford is much worse then last year, but still will make a bowl game. Washington is another very underrated team and has upset teams before. Watch for them to give LSU a battle September 8th.

    UCLA, California, and Arizona are my picks to finish off the bowl-bound teams, but Washington State may surprise people. Under new coach Mike Leach, they will run the second best passing attack in the conference behind USC, and one of the top ones in the nation. Marquess Wilson is the best receiver you have never heard of in the nation. But, the Cougars have holes at almost every other position, which ultimately will keep them from a bowl game.

    Arizona State is a year or two away before returning to competitiveness. Oregon State is close too, but still has bit to go. Colorado will struggle this year, and could very well loose all conference games this season.

Projected Standings:

North:

1. Oregon 11-1 (8-1)

T2. Stanford 8-4 (6-3)

T3. Washington 8-4 (6-3)

4. California 6-6 (4-5)

5. Washington State 4-8 (2-7)

6. Oregon State 2-10 (1-8)

South:

1. USC 12-0 (9-0)

2. Utah 9-3 (6-3)

3. UCLA 6-6 (5-4)

4. Arizona 6-6 (4-5)

5. Arizona State 4-8 (2-7)

6. Colorado 2-10 (0-9)


PAC-12 Championship: USC over Oregon

College Football Week 13 Recap

   We now are entering the last week of college football and it is conference championship week. A time for teams to show why they are worthy of a BCS bid. Each conference championship has a lot riding on it.

LSU QB Jarrett Lee

    In the SEC, #1 LSU will take on #14 Georgia. LSU has been the best team all season. There is no question about it. The SEC East is weak this year, especially if Georgia will be representing them in the title game. Don't let Georgia's record (10-2) fool you, the three teams from the SEC West they did not end up playing are the three best in #1 LSU, #2 Alabama, and #5 Arkansas. The only other teams they played that even are even ranked are #6 Boise State and #13 South Carolina, both losses. LSU wins by a huge margin on their way to the title game.

    In the Big 10, it is a rematch between #10 Michigan State and #16 Wisconsin. Last time, MSU won on a 54-yard Hail Mary as time expired to win 37-31. The winner this time will go to the Rose bowl, and the loser possibly could get into the Fiesta Bowl to play the loser of Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, or the winner of that game, if Alabama gets into the title game. Either way, it will be a great game and hopefully be down to the wire once again.

    In the Pac 12, the North featured arguably the best four teams in the Pac-12 (minus bowl-banned USC), and will send Oregon to take on 6-6 UCLA in the title game. UCLA, the team people said may be the worst team in the Pac 12 in the pre-season, managed to go 6-6, but by no means can compete with Oregon. The Ducks will tromp the Bruins.

    The ACC has #9 Virginia Tech which has been on a tear lately, playing #23 Clemson who started undefeated but has dropped two straight games and has fallen mightily - winner will go to Orange Bowl.

    The Conference USA will feature undefeated #6 Houston and #22 Southern Miss. Houston is a team all about offense, and has one of the best in the history of the NCAA. But they have played a very easy schedule, and out of all non-BCS teams to go undefeated in the past few years, they may be the least talented one to date. Two teams come to mind if you think of "all offense" teams in BCS conferences this year. Both in the Pac 12, and they are Arizona and Washington State. Both went 4-8 playing average schedules. This would most likely be Houston's fate if they played in a BCS conference, and they will most likely not put up a fight for any team in a BCS bowl. But for this game, Houston will win and cap off a 13-0 season heading into a bowl game.


Top 25

1. LSU 12-0
2. Alabama 11-1
3. Oklahoma State 10-1
4. Stanford 11-1
5. Arkansas 10-2
6. Boise State 10-1
7. Oregon 10-2
8. Houston 12-0
9. Virginia Tech 11-1
10. Michigan State 10-2
11. Oklahoma 9-2
12. USC 10-2
13. South Carolina 10-2
14. Georgia 10-2
15. Kansas State 9-2
16. Wisconsin 10-2
17. Michigan 10-2
18. Baylor 8-3
19. TCU 9-2
20. West Virginia 8-3
21. Nebraska 9-3
22. Southern Miss 10-2
23. Clemson 9-3
24. Ohio 9-3
25. Texas 7-4

Next 5 In: Penn State 9-3, Florida State 8-4, Cincinnati 8-3, Arkansas 9-2, Virginia 8-4

What To Watch:


Conference Championships (* Neutral Site)

*#24 Ohio @ Northern Illinois, Fri, 7:00pm ET, ESPN2, Prediction: OHIO 66 NIU 59

UCLA @ #7 Oregon, Fri, 8:00pm ET, FOX, Prediction: ORE 45 UCLA 7

#22 Southern Miss @ #6 Houston, Sat, 12:00pm ET, ABC, Prediction: HOU 55 USM 40

*#14 Georgia @ #1 LSU, Sat, 4:00pm ET, CBS, Prediction: LSU 37 UGA 14

*#9 Virginia Tech @ #23 Clemson, 8:00pm ET, ESPN, Prediction: VT 38 CLEM 30

*#16 Wisconsin @ #10 Michigan State, 8:00pm ET, FOX, Prediction: WIS 35 MSU 34

OSU QB Brandon Weeden

Regular Games:

UConn @ Cincinnati, 12:00pm ET, ESPN,
Prediction: CIN 27 UCONN 21

Iowa State @ #15 Kansas State, 12:30pm ET,
Prediction: KSU 20 ISU 10

#25 Texas @ #18 Baylor, 3:30pm ET, ABC,
Prediction: BAY 31 TEX 20



Game Of Week:

#11 Oklahoma @ #3 Oklahoma State, 8:00pm ET, ABC, Prediction: OKL 45 OSU 42

College Football Week 12 Recap

    It has been along time since my last post, and so much has happened since then. Upsets, a showdown between #1 and #2, and of course Penn State. Week 11 just went by, and it turned the whole College Football world upside-down with four of the top 10 teams loosing.

USC celebrates a win over Oregon

    Oklahoma State played on Friday night, vs an Iowa State team that was looking for its sixth win to become bowl eligible. Many thought it would not come this weekend, and the #2 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys would continue its winning streak heading into a showdown with Oklahoma. But that was not the case as Oklahoma State QB Zach Weeden's pass was tipped and fell into Iowa State hands. The Cyclones won in double OT.

    The Oregon Ducks could clinch a Pac 12 Championship berth before they were upset by USC when the kicker missed a field goal, and Baylor upset Oklahoma at the end of the game. Clemson was demolished by NC State.

Top 25:


1. LSU 11-0
2. Alabama 10-1
3. Arkansas 10-1
4. Stanford 10-1
5. Oklahoma State 10-1
6. Boise State 9-1
7. Oregon 9-2
8. Houston 11-0
9. Virginia Tech 10-1
10. Michigan State 9-2
11. USC 9-2
12. Oklahoma 8-2
13. South Carolina 9-2
14. Georgia 9-2
15. Kansas State 9-2
16. Wisconsin 9-2
17. Michigan 9-2
18. Baylor 7-3
19. TCU 9-2
20. Clemson 9-2
21. Penn State 9-2
22. Virginia 8-3
23. Georgia Tech 8-3
24. Iowa State 6-4
25. Nebraska 8-3

Next 5 in: Rutgers 8-3, Notre Dame 8-3, West Virginia 7-3, Ohio 9-3, Arkansas State 9-2

What To Watch:


Iowa @ #25 Nebraska, Fri 12:00 PM ET, ABC, Prediction: NEB 37 IOWA 34

#8 Houston @ Tulsa, Fri 12:00 PM ET, Prediction: HOU 65 TULSA 56

#3 Arkansas @ #1 LSU, Fri, 2:30 PM ET, Prediction: LSU 35 ARK 25

#24 Iowa State @ #12 Oklahoma, 12:00 PM ET, FX,  Prediction: OK 41 ISU 17

#14 Georgia @ #23 Georgia Tech, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: UGA 23 GT 16

Ohio State @ #17 Michigan, 12:00 PM ET, ABC, Prediction: OSU 31 MICH 24

#2 Alabama @ Auburn, 3:30 PM ET, CBS, Prediction: ALA 30 AUB 6

#9 Virginia Tech @ #22 Virginia, 3:30 PM ET, ABC/ESPN2, Prediction: VT 27 VIR 20

#21 Penn State @ #16 Wisconsin, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: WIS 31 PSU 21

#20 Clemson @ #13 South Carolina, 7:45 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: SC 17 CLEM 13

Notre Dame @ #4 Stanford, 8:00 PM ET, ABC, Prediction: STAN 26 ND 14

College Football Week 8 Recap

    We passed the half way point in College Football this weekend and it might have been the most exiting weekend this season.

    One game though, will go down in history as one of the best ever. #16 Michigan State hosted #6 Wisconsin in East Lancing, which may be a preview of the Big 10 Championship this December. Wisconsin went up 14-0, but the Spartans came back and at half it was 23-14. Then in the forth the tables turned and Wisconsin had all the momentum. The game was tied at 31-31 with just a few seconds left. Everyone expected overtime when it happened.

    The play will go down as one of the biggest in history, right up with Doug Flutie's hail mary pass to beat Miami, or Colorado's hail mary to upset Michigan. But with four seconds left, Kirk Cousins threw a hail mary pass to the endzone that was tipped, and caught my Michigan State tight end Keith Nichol. Nichol then pulled about four defenders across the goal line before being pulled back. After review, it was determined that the ball crossed the goal line and Michigan State won 37-31.

    Here is a video of the play and reaction from both teams:

    #3 Oklahoma was also taken down by Texas Tech. After a lighting storm that delayed the game ended, Texas Tech just outplayed the Sooners all game and fended off a late comeback to win. #1 LSU and #2 Alabama demolished Auburn and Tennessee, and #7 Clemson, #5 Stanford, and #4 Oklahoma State proved again why they are to be taken seriously.

Top 25


1. LSU 8-0
2. Alabama 8-0
3. Stanford 7-0
4. Oklahoma State 7-0
5. Boise State 7-0
6. Oregon 6-1
7. Clemson 8-0
8. Arkansas 6-1
9. Kansas State 7-0
10. Wisconsin 6-1
11. Michigan State 6-1
12. Oklahoma 6-1
13. South Carolina 6-1
14. Nebraska 6-1
15. Virginia Tech 5-1
16. Texas A &M 5-2
17. Michigan 6-1
18. Houston 7-0
19. USC 5-1
20. Texas Tech 5-2
21. Arizona State 5-2
22. Penn State 7-1
23. Cincinnati 6-1
24. Georgia 5-2
25. Baylor 4-2

Next 5 In: Syracuse (5-2), Iowa (5-2), Southern Miss (6-1), BYU (6-2), TCU (5-2)


What To Watch: 


#11 Michigan State @ #14 Nebraska, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: MSU 24 NEB 17

Purdue @ #17 Michigan, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN2, Prediction: MICH 25 PUR 13

#25 Baylor @ #4 Oklahoma State, 3:30 PM ET, ABC/ESPN2, Prediction: OK ST 59 BAY 40

Illinois @ #22 Penn State, 3:30 PM ET, ABC/ESPN2, Prediction: PSU 21 ILL 10

#24 Georgia @ Florida, 3:30 PM ET, CBS, Prediction: FLOR 28 UGA 10

#10 Wisconsin @ Ohio State, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN, WIS 24 OSU 10

#7 Clemson @ Georgia Tech, 8:00 PM ET, ABC, CLEM 45 GT 36

#3 Stanford @ #19 USC, 8:00 PM ET, ABC, STAN 50 USC 32

Game Of The Week:


#12 Oklahoma @ #9 Kansas State 


3:30 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction:

Oklahoma 37 Kansas State 24


    Oklahoma will not be rattled much from an upset lost to Texas Tech. They will play at a high level as they have for much of this season and overpower a Kansas State team that may be a bit overrated. Oklahoma wins by about two touchdowns and leads for most of the game.

College Football Week 6 Recap

    College football is well underway and we are about half way through the season already. Not many upsets thus far, and there has not been many exiting games. But this weekend had some very good games though, as will next weekend.

    After beating up on Georgia in week one, Boise State only really had one more test on their schedule, against Fresno State. And on Friday night the Broncos toppled the Bulldogs 57-7. Boise State became 5-0. While I do believe Boise State still could be a title contender even if having a conference schedule like a normal BCS team, they are still in the Mountain West. By playing small teams like this every year, they never will be considered an elite team in my books.

    Oklahoma and Texas played in their annual Red River Rivalry, and Oklahoma proved why they are one of the top teams in the nation, and why Landry Jones should be a Heisman contender up with Andrew Luck. Texas showed us they are not quite where we thought they were in regards to coming back from a 5-7 season last year.

    The same thing really went for LSU, as they destroyed Florida and Jarrett Lee proved why he also is a Heisman contender. Florida, as Texas did, showed why they also are a few years from being back to a BCS team.

    After Nebraska was embarrassed by Wisconsin in their Big 10 debut, they went up against the Buckeyes of Ohio State. Ohio State who is having one of the worst seasons in along time for them, played better then they had all season and to every ones amazement was up 27-6 at half. Braxton Miller was playing more freely, much like Terrelle Pryor would. Carlos Hyde had some great runs for Ohio State, including a 60-yard TD run in the second quarter.

    But coming out of half, Miller sprained his ankle when changing direction, and it was all down hill from there. Joe Bauserman came in for Ohio State and might have played the worst quarter and half I have ever seen. As imaginable, Nebraska came back, and scored 28 unanswered points to win 34-27. The nightmare for Ohio State continues.

Top 25:


1. LSU 6-0
2. Alabama 6-0
3. Oklahoma 5-0
4. Boise State 5-0
5. Wisconsin 5-0
6. Stanford 5-0
7. Oklahoma State 5-0
8. Oregon 4-1
9. Clemson 6-0
10. Arkansas 5-1
11. Georgia Tech 6-0
12. South Carolina 5-1
13. Michigan 6-0
14. Nebraska 5-1
15. West Virginia 5-1
16. Illinois 6-0
17. Baylor 4-1
18. Virginia Tech 5-1
19. Kansas State 5-0
20. Arizona State 5-1
21. Texas A &M 3-2
22. Michigan State 4-1
23. Washington 4-1
24. Texas 4-1
25. Houston 6-0

Next 5 in: Penn State 5-1, Florida 4-2, USC 4-1, North Carolina 5-1, SMU 4-1, Cincinnati 4-1


What To Watch:


#17 Baylor @ #21 Texas A &M, 12:00 PM ET, FX, Prediction: TAM 29 BAY 27

Miami (FL) @ North Carolina, 12:30 PM ET, ESPN3, Prediction: UNC 30 MIA 25

#7 Oklahoma State @ #22 Texas, 3:30 PM ET, ABC/ESPN, Prediction: OK ST 37 TEX 33

Ohio State @ #16 Illinois, 3:30 PM ET, ABC/ESPN, Prediction: OSU 27 ILL 20

#20 Arizona State @ #9 Oregon, 10:15 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: ORE 51 ASU 30

Game Of The Week: 


#13 Michigan (6-0) @ #22 Michigan State (4-1)


12:00 PM ET, ESPN

Prediction: MSU 27 MICH 21


    Michigan is overrated. They get by with Denard Robinson running the ball, and they have not played anyone good thus far. This is what happened last year, they started off good by playing terrible teams and Robinson running circles around them, then one the real teams came they lost and Robinson fell off the map. Same thing this year. Once these better teams come in with much more athletic linebackers who can stop the run, like Michigan State, they contain Robinson and make him throw the ball, which he may be the worst at out of all Big 10 quarterbacks. If Michigan State contains Robinson in the running game and the offense can avoid to many turnovers, they win this game with ease and maybe by a lot more then just six.

College Football Week 4 Recap

    After not being able to put up a recap for weeks 2 & 3, I have one for week 4. There were some good games with a lot of ranked teams going at it, and even a few upsets.

    The biggest and most exiting one was Texas A& M and Oklahoma State. Texas A& M went out to a huge lead at half and most people assumed Oklahoma State really was overrated. But next thing you know Oklahoma State had surged back and taken the lead, and stole the win from the Aggies on the same week A& M joined the SEC. Justin Blackmon again had a 100 yard receiving day for the Cowboys as they are sure to gain some spots in the ranks.

    Other big games were Florida State and Clemson. Clemson had just joined the Top 25 after beating Auburn, and Florida State had just lossed to Oklahoma. I had always thought Florida State was much overrated for their preseason ranking, and these two losses only proved it as the Seminoles fell to 2-2. Clemson is 4-0 for the first time since 2007.

    LSU blew out West Virginia but no surprise their, and Alabama took down Arkansas by a surprisingly high margin. A good weekend for college football to say the least.

    This weekend also has some good games between ranked opponents, as Alabama and Florida, Nebraska and Wisconsin, and Clemson and Virginia Tech play.


Top 25
1. LSU 4-0
2. Alabama 4-0
3. Oklahoma 3-0
4. Boise State 3-0
5. Stanford 3-0
6. Wisconsin 4-0
7. Oregon 3-1
8. Oklahoma State 4-0
9. Nebraska 4-0
10. South Carolina 4-0
11. Virginia Tech 4-0
12. Texas A& M 2-1
13. Florida 4-0
14. Baylor 3-0
15. Clemson 4-0
16. South Florida 4-0
17. Texas 3-0
18. TCU 3-1
19. Arkansas 3-1
20. Georgia Tech  4-0
21. Michigan 4-0
22. Ohio State 3-1
23. Houston 4-0
24. Florida State 2-2
25. Arizona State 3-1

Next 5 in: West Virgina 3-1, Michigan State 3-1, Illinois 4-0, Penn State 3-1, Iowa 3-1

What To Watch:


#12 Texas A& M @ #19 Arkansas, 12:00 PM, ESPN, Prediction: TAM 37 ARK 35

Auburn @ #10 South Carolina, 3:30 PM, CBS, Prediction: AUB 41 SC 33

Michigan State @ #22 Ohio State, 3:30 PM, ABC/ESPN, Prediction: OSU 24 MSU 15

#15 Clemson @ #11 Virginia Tech, 6:00 PM, ESPN2, Prediction: VT 34 CLEM 28

#17 Texas @ Iowa State, 7:00 PM, FX, Prediction: TEX 45 ISU 13

#2 Alabama @ #13 Florida, 8:00 PM, CBS, Prediction: ALA 28 FLOR 14

Game Of The Week


#9 Nebraska @ #6 Wisconsin


8:00 PM ET, ABC

Prediction: Wisconsin 32 Nebraska 24

Wisconsin wins this game due to the fact they are just a better team on offense and have a slight edge in defense. Russell Wilson is playing great football, and Wisconsin can run with anyone in the country. It will be close, and could be a high scoring affair or a low scoring one. But in the end the Badges spoil Nebraska's inaugural Big 10 game.

College Football Week 1 Recap

    College Football is back! I have not been able to make any new posts lately, as I have been busy with vacations and school starting back up. But college football is here again!

    One thing week one in college football is famous for is almost all the games matching up an FCS or very small school to an FBS team. If it were up to me, I would ban all contests between teams from different divisions. I understand the money it gives to the lower teams, and how it can get the FCS school good exposure for recruits (though I'm not sure how loosing 60-3 on ESPN will get u much recruiting help). Teams need to just stay  to playing other FBS schools. I don't want to see Nebraska play someone like Chattanooga, or Arkansas play Missouri State. Though I do love upsets like Sacramento State over Oregon State, or Richmond over Duke. But I think that FBS-FCS competition needs to be taken away.

    There were some big games though that were fun to see. #3 Oregon vs #4 LSU was an exiting game, and if Oregon did not have so many turnovers, it would have been a very different game. But turnover, after turnover, after turnover, mostly on special teams, lost this game for the Ducks. I think they really should also have some talks with their returners on when to call for fair catch. But LSU really had a good win and capitalized off of the turnovers by Oregon.

    The other big game was #5 Boise State playing #19 Georgia, as the Broncos looked to prove once more that they can run with the BCS teams. And they did as they really were just the better team here, and Kellon Moore completed 5 TD passes. Georgia, in their all red uniforms that made them look like Ketchup bottles, just could not get much going and lost 35-19.

    #14 TCU was not able to avoid upset vs Baylor in the shootout after a huge comeback in the 4th, and #16 Notre Dame lost to South Florida after extreme heat, and thunderstorms delayed the game.

Week 2 Top 25:


1. Alabama 1-0
2. Oklahoma 1-0
3. LSU 1-0
4. Boise State 1-0
5. Stanford 1-0
6. Wisconsin 1-0
7. Texas A&M 1-0
8. Florida State 1-0
9. Oregon 0-1
10. Oklahoma State 1-0
11. Nebraska 1-0
12. Ohio State 1-0
13. Arkansas 1-0
14. South Carolina 1-0
15. Virginia Tech 1-0
16. Michigan State 1-0
17. Florida 1-0
18. Mississippi State 1-0
19. Penn State 1-0
20. West Virginia 1-0
21. Baylor 1-0
22. Missouri 1-0
23. Texas 1-0
24. TCU 1-0
25. USC 1-0

Next 5 in: South Florida 1-0, Georgia 0-1, Notre Dame 1-0, Utah 1-0, Houston 1-0


What To Watch Week 2:


Arizona @ #10 Oklahoma State, Thu, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: #10 OSU 44 ARZ 35

#22 Missouri @ Arizona State, Fri, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: #22 MIZZ 30 ASU 28

#18 Mississippi State @ Auburn, Sat, 12:00 PM ET, SEC Network, Prediction: AUB 28 #18 MSU 14

Nevada @ #9 Oregon, Sat, 3:30 PM ET, FX, Prediction: #9 ORE 39 NEV 33

Cincinnati @ Tennessee, Sat, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN2, Prediction: CIN 35 TENN 32

#14 South Carolina @ Georgia, Sat, 4:30 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: #14 SC 32 UGA 29

Utah @ #25 USC, Sat, 7:30 PM ET, Versus, Prediction: #25 USC 41 Utah 38

Notre Dame @ Michigan, Sat, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN, Prediction: MICH 37 ND 30

Game Of The Week:

#1 Alabama @ #19 Penn State, Sat, 3:30 PM ET, ABC, Prediction: #1 ALA 38 #19 PSU 17

    Alabama goes in uninitiated, and shows why they are one of the best teams in college football and will go undefeated this season by beating up Penn State badly in Happy Valley. I just do not see Penn State putting up a fight.

Alabama

2010 College Bowl Game Predictions

    Well at the last minute, here are my bowl predictions! I do not have time to write an analysis on all games unfortunately. So here are just the predictions. At the end of it all, we will look back on how I did in my predictions.

New Mexico Bowl: BYU over UTEP

Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois over Fresno State

New Orleans Bowl: Troy over Ohio

St. Petersburg Bowl: Southern Miss over Louisville

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State over Utah

Poinsettia Bowl: Navy over San Diego State

Hawaii Bowl: Tulsa over Hawaii

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Florida Internatinal over Toledo

Independence Bowl: Air Force over Georgia Tech

Champs Sports Bowl: West Virginia over N.C. State

Insight Bowl: Missouri over Iowa

Military Bowl: Maryland over East Carolina

Texas Bowl: Baylor over Illinois

Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State over Arizona

Armed Forces Bowl: SMU over Army

Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas State over Syracuse

Music City Bowl: North Carolina over Tennessee

Holiday Bowl: Nebraska over Washington

Meineke Car Care Bowl: South Florida over Clemson

Sun Bowl: Miami (FL) over Notre Dame

Liberty Bowl: Georgia over Central Florida

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: South Carolina over Florida State

TickitCity Bowl: Texas Tech over Northwestern

Outback Bowl: Florida over Penn State

Capital One Bowl: Alabama over Michigan State

Gator Bowl: Michigan over Mississippi State

Rose Bowl: Wisconsin over TCU

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma over Connecticut

Orange Bowl: Stanford over Virginia Tech

Sugar Bowl: Ohio State over Arkansas

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Miami (OH) over Middle Tennessee State

Cotton Bowl: LSU over Texas A &M

BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh over Kentucky

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Boston College over Nevada

BCS Championship: Oregon over Auburn

College Football Week 10 Recap

    Not alot happend this weekend in college football. But for what did happen, here is some analysis on it.

    The game of the week was the #6 Utah Utes hosting the #4 TCU Horned Frogs.
   
    Both Mountain West teams have an easy schedule following this game. TCU's biggest challenge is San Diego State, and then what could be the eaisest game of the season against New Mexico.

    Utah follows this game with Notre Dame, San Diego State, and BYU. Tougher then TCU's, but winnable.

    Now with both having a easy schedule after, the winner can pack there bags for a BCS bowl game, and just maybe Glendale for the Natinal Championship. This game was expected to be tight, and competetive. I predicted a 35-26 win for Utah.

    But that was not the case at all, as TCU cruised to a 47-7 victory.

    Andy Dalton posted 335 passing yards, and three touchdowns.

    TCU can now guarentee a BCS bowl game, and Boise State, who won in impressive fashion over Hawaii, can as well.

    With Alabama loosing, TCU and Boise State wont have a 1-loss team potentially jumping them into the BCS. If Auburn and Oregon loose, it might be to late for them to get back into the BCS. Unless Auburn can still win the SEC Championship.

    For Auburn, who improved to 10-0 with a win over Chattanooga, Alabama is the team left who could spoil the Tigers season.

    As for the Oregon Ducks (9-0), Cal, Arizona and Oregon State remain.

    For my new Top 25, Oregon remains #1. Auburn jumps to #2, and TCU with the amazing win goes to #3. While Boise State did have a great win, they have only played eight games, two less then Auburn and TCU. The Broncos also have a weaker schedule. Thus, a drop to #4.

Top 25

1. Oregon 9-0
2. Auburn 10-0
3. TCU 10-0
4. Boise State 8-0
5. Wisconsin 8-1
6. LSU 8-1
7. Ohio State 8-1
8. Stanford 8-1
9. Nebraska 8-1
10. Michigan State 9-1
11. Alabama 7-2
12. Oklahoma State 8-1
13. Arkansas 7-2
14. Iowa 7-2
15. Oklahoma 7-2
16. Utah 8-1
17. Mississipi State 7-2
18. Arizona 7-2
19. Missouri 7-2
20. Virginia Tech 7-2
21. Nevada 8-1
22. Texas A&M 6-3
23. South Carolina 6-3
24. Kansas State 6-3
25. San Diego State 7-2

Next 5 in: Central Florida 7-2, Florida 6-3, Temple 8-2, Fresno State 6-2, Baylor 6-3

What To Watch

#14 Iowa @ Northwestern (Sat, 12:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: IOWA 27 NW 18

#24 Kansas State @ #19 Missouri (Sat, 12:30pm ET, FSN) Prediction: MIZZ 37 KSU 28

Georgia @ #2 Auburn (Sat, 3:30pm ET, CBS) Prediction: AUB 44 UGA 17

Texas Tech @ #15 Oklahoma (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ABC) Prediction: TTU 31 OKL 17

Penn State @ #7 Ohio State (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ABC) Prediction: OSU 27 PSU 14

#25 San Diego State @ #3 TCU (Sat, 4:00pm ET, Versus) Prediction: TCU 47 SDSU 13

#17 Mississpi State @ #11 Alabama (Sat, 7:15pm ET, ESPN2) Prediction: ALA 36 MSU 20

#23 South Carolina @ Florida (Sat, 7:15pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: SCU 24 FLOR 21

USC @ #18 Arizona (Sat, 8:00pm ET, ABC) Prediction: USC 39 ARA 30

#21 Nevada @ Fresno State (Sat, 10:30pm ET, ESPNU) Prediction: NEV 44 FSU 21

College Football Week 9 Recap

    I am sorry that I have not been able to post anything for awhile. I recently moved to a new house and the internet is not up yet. Right now I am typing this from one of the school's computers. I also have not been able to post any college football weekly recaps for a long time as well because of packing.

    As college football week 10 approaches, I do not have time to make a full analysis of all the news. But I will post my What To Watch and Top 25 poll.

    Top 25

1. Oregon 8-0
2. Boise State 7-0
3. Auburn 9-0
4. TCU 9-0
5. Alabama 7-1
6. Utah 8-0
7. Wisconsin 7-1
8. Nebraska 7-1
9. Ohio State 8-1
10. Stanford 7-1
11. LSU 7-1
12. Oklahoma 8-1
13. Arizona 7-1
14. Missouri 7-1
15. Iowa 6-2
16. Michigan State 8-1
17. Oklahoma State 7-1
18. South Carolina 6-2
19. Arkansas 6-2
20. Mississipi State 7-2
21. Virginia Tech 6-2
22. Baylor 7-2
23. North Carolina State 6-2
24. Hawaii 7-1
25. Syracuse 6-2

What To Watch

#23 N.C. State @ Clemson (Sat, 12:00pm, ESPN 3.com) Prediction: NCST 22 CLEM 12

Illinois @ Michigan (Sat, 12:00pm, ESPN) Prediction: ILL 34 UM 21

#22 Baylor @ #17 Oklahoma State (Sat, 12:30pm FSN) Prediction: OSU 38 BAY 31

Washington @ #1 Oregon (Sat, 3:30pm, ABC) Prediction: ORE 37 UW 14

#4 TCU @ #6 Utah (Sat, 3:30pm, CBS College Sports) Prediction: Utah 35 TCU 26

#24 Hawaii @ #2 Boise State (Sat, 3:30pm, ESPNU) Prediction: BSU 44 HAW 20

#5 Alabama @ #11 LSU (Sat, 3:30pm, CBS) Prediction: ALA 28 LSU 6

#19 Arkansas @ #18 South Carolina (Sat, 7:00pm, ESPN) Prediction: SCU 24 ARK 20

#13 Arizona @ #10 Stanford (Sat, 8:00pm, ABC) Prediction: STAN 23 ARA 10