College Football Week 1 Recap

    Week one is in the books, and many exciting games went down. It seemed many teams had lots of trouble with small FBS teams and even FCS teams.

    Minnesota went to 3OT with UNLV, Stanford only beat San Jose State by three, #8 Wisconsin beat Northern Iowa by five, Wake Forest escaped by three against Liberty, #4 Oklahoma could only pull away from UTEP in the 4th, and Maryland beat FCS-William & Mary on a late touchdown, 7-6.

    My #7 team South Carolina struggled against Vanderbilt on Thursday night. Vandy is a very underrated team, so it being close was not a surprise. But aside from Marcus Lattimore having another monster game, the rest of the Gamecock's squad under-performed 

    But two very shocking upsets took place as well. The first, was FCS-school Youngstown State beating up Pittsburgh in every single way to cruise to a 31-17 win. An embarrassing moment for Pitt, who had never lost to an FCS school before.

    The next was Texas State pounding Houston on the road. Houston, coming off a 13-1 season, was a 34.5-point favorite. Houston did loose QB Case Keenum to the NFL last year, but the offense is still explosive. I had Houston winning out in the regular season. That prediction is done after the first week. 

   Texas State was playing their first game as an FBS-member. But no one had them winning this one. Yet, they came into Houston, shut down Houston's offense, and left with a 30-13 victory. According to Pregame.com, Texas State is the first school to ever win a game by double digits while being a 30 or more point underdog. While this game has been overlooked by almost everyone, this will be one of the biggest upsets of the season.

    The biggest game of the weekend though, was #2 Alabama's blowout of #11 Michigan. The Tide demolished them in all areas. Most people expected an Alabama win, but not to this magnitude. It may be time for Michigan to hit the panic button after how many holes were exposed in that game.


Week 2 Top 25:

1. USC (1-0)
2. Alabama (1-0)
3. Florida State (1-0)
4. Oklahoma (1-0)
5. LSU (1-0)
6. Oregon (1-0)
7. South Carolina (1-0)
8. Arkansas (1-0)
9. Wisconsin (1-0)
10. Georgia (1-0)
11. Michigan State (1-0)
12. Virginia Tech (1-0)
13. Texas (1-0)
14. Clemson 1-0)
15. West Virginia (1-0)
16. Michigan (1-0)
17. Nebraska (1-0)
18. Ohio State (1-0)
19. Oklahoma State (1-0)
20. TCU (0-0)
21. Louisville (1-0)
22. Utah (1-0)
23. North Carolina (1-0)
24. Kansas State (1-0)
25. Auburn (0-1)

Next 5 in: NC State (0-1), Washington (1-0), Notre Dame (1-0), Iowa (1-0), Boise State (0-1)

What to Watch:

Central Florida (1-0) @ #18 Ohio St. (1-0) (12:00pm ET, ESPN2)

UCF is a very talented team the Buckeyes must be careful not to overlook. If Braxton Miller can play like he did last week vs Miami, Ohio State should roll.

Prediction: Ohio St. 37 UCF 20

Air Force (1-0) @ #16 Michigan (0-1) (3:30pm ET, ABC/ESPN2)

Michigan should win, but Air Force is always dangerous and if the Wolverines havn't picked itself up after an embarrassing loss last weekend, the Falcons could pull a shocker.

Prediction: Mich 30 AF 15

Florida (1-0) @ Texas A & M (0-0) (3:30pm ET, ESPN)

Florida looked shaky vs Bowling Green. Jeff Driskel was named starting QB on Monday, but how will he play vs a tougher Aggie squad? Texas A & M plays their first game as an SEC member.

Florida 21 TAMU 14

Washington (1-0) @ #5 LSU (1-0) (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

LSU should win this game, and it can go almost any possible way. Washington is a sleeper team but will need to be at their best to beat LSU. That being said, don't sleep on the Huskies.

Prediction: LSU 48 UW 35

#10 Georgia @ Missouri (7:45pm ET, ESPN2)

Georgia had its fair share of problems last week vs Buffalo, and has been know to drop games early in the season that they should win. They get Missouri on the road this week, and this is looking like a disaster waiting to happen. 

Prediction: UGA 34 Mizz 31

Duke @ Stanford (10:30pm ET, Pac-12 Network)

After Stanford almost suffered a major upset last week vs SJSU, they look to show they can win without Andrew Luck and take down Duke. Duke is looking to show they aren't in the cellar of the ACC anymore, and a win vs Stanford can prove that argument.

Prediction: Stan 31 Duke 21


Week 2 Recap

SEC Preview

    
ACC   Big East   Big 10   Big 12   Pac 12   Other Conferences   Bowls and Top 50
    
    
    The SEC is hands down the best conference in college football, and a SEC member has won the last six BCS titles. They will once again have many teams in the top 10, with almost all teams making a bowl game.

    The best team is defending national champion Alabama. Despite losses to the NFL, they won't hurt much at all and have a very solid chance of an undefeated season. But with USC and Oklahoma most likely winning all of their games too, the Tide will need to win out to have a chance of repeating.

Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

    LSU is down a bit this year, but still an elite program. They may not make the BCS, but will be one of the top teams in the SEC. Arkansas, led by Tyler Wilson, will challenge Bama and LSU for the top spot in the SEC West, but are just not as good as those two. 

     Auburn may surprise people this year and put up eight to ten wins. Crazy as it sounds, the Tigers are the most likely team to knock off Alabama this year. The Tide get LSU at home, and should get by Arkansas. I still think the Tide will win the Iron Bowl, but Auburn may spoil Alabama's season in the last week.

     To round out the West, Mississippi State is an underrated team, and could pull an upset or two. But the SEC West is the toughest division in football by far and it will be hard for the Bulldogs to post more then seven or eight wins. Texas A & M is a new comer this season. The Aggies are better then Ole Miss, but will most likely win six or seven games. Ole Miss will be at the bottom once again.

     The SEC East is not as stacked as the West. South Carolina is being overlooked by some in favor of Georgia, but the Gamecocks are the best team in the East, and the fourth best team in the SEC. They have a very good chance of making a BCS bowl, and the SEC championship this season. They do not draw Alabama and get Georgia at home. A road trip to Florida could spoil it. LSU and Arkansas will be tough games as well, but the Gamecocks should be in the SEC title game.

     Georgia is also a very good team that could get into the SEC title game for the second straight year. But the Bulldogs drop games often in the early season, and a road trip to Missouri on September 8th could be a recipe for disaster for Georgia.

    After those two teams is Florida. The Gators are in a slump right now and are heading into the season without a full time starting QB named. A team will not win many games when multiple QBs are used every game, and this may be another disappointing season for the Gators. A bowl game is still a given though.

    After those three is Vanderbilt, who is only getting better. Tennessee and Missouri are next, and both of them will be in a bowl game with six or seven wins this season. Kentucky is at the bottom, and they will struggle this year.

Projected Standings:

East:

1. South Carolina 10-2 (7-1)

2. Georgia 9-3 (5-3)

3. Vanderbilt 7-5 (4-4)

T4. Missouri 7-5 (3-5)

T4. Tennessee 7-5 (3-5)

T4. Florida 6-6 (3-5)

7. Kentucky 3-9 (1-7)

West:

1. Alabama 12-0 (8-0)

2. LSU 10-2 (7-2)

3. Arkansas 9-3 (5-3)

4. Auburn 8-4 (4-4)

T5. Mississippi State 7-5 (3-5)

T5. Texas A & M 6-6 (3-5)

7. Ole Miss 4-8 (1-7)

SEC Championship: Alabama over South Carolina