College Football Week 2 Recap

    Week 2 is now done, and what a weekend it was. We had many upsets go down, small and large, including a number of FCS schools take down FBS ones.

     It started on Friday night, as #22 Utah and Utah State renewed their rivalry. Utah had won the last 12 meetings, but the streak ended and the Aggies won 27-20. The upsets had begun.

     #9 Wisconsin traveled to Corvallis, Oregon where they were stunned by the Oregon State Beavers. A loss that highlighted a terrible weekend for the Big 10, but a great weekend for the Pac 12. #17 Nebraska (Big 10) fell victim to UCLA (Pac 12). Arizona State also beat up on Big 10 member Illinois 45-14.

     The Pac 12 played well all around except for #22 Utah, Colorado, and Washington. All teams but those three came away with a win. Arizona also pulled off a stunner and took down #19 Oklahoma State. 

     One interesting thing to take away from this weekend, is the sad-state of Colorado's two universities. Colorado lost to FCS-opponent Sacramento State, and Colorado State lost too FCS school North Dakota State. It doesn't get much lower then that for a state's football programs.

     But the most shocking upset of Saturday was the Sun Belt's Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks upset of the SEC's #8 Arkansas Razorbacks. The score was 21-7 Razorbacks at halftime. But Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson had taken many blows and was knocked out of the game with a head injury. UL Monroe jumped at the chance and held Arkansas to seven points in the second half. Overtime began with Arkansas scoring a field goal. ULM got the ball, and on 4th and 1, ULM QB Kolton Browning ran for a TD. 

    Final score: UL Monroe 34 #8 Arkansas 31.

     Arkansas looked shaky last week vs Jacksonville State, but after this performance, they look pitiful. If Wilson had stayed in the game, then the Razorbacks would have most likely won. But this is college football and we can only wonder.

Kolton Browning, UL Monroe

Top 25:

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

Next 5 in: Boise State (0-1), Florida (2-0), Nebraska (1-1), Tennessee (2-0), UCLA (2-0)



What To Watch:

UL Monroe (1-0) @ Auburn (0-2) 
12:20pm ET, SEC Network

Auburn has dropped two to open the season, and you never know...

Prediction: Aub 45 ULM 14

#2 Alabama (2-0) @ #24 Arkansas (1-1) 
3:30pm ET, CBS

Arkansas looks to bounce back after embarrassment, but Alabama is just too strong regardless.

Prediction: Bama 37 Ark 24

Northern Iowa (1-1) @ Iowa (1-1) 
3:30pm ET, Big Ten Network

With how bad Iowa has been so far, and with how many FCS upsets we have already seen, I think something could happen here. NIU already gave problems to Wisconsin. 

Prediction: NIU 29 Iowa 24

Florida (2-0) @ Tennessee (2-0) 
6:00pm ET, ESPN

An SEC rivalry, both of these teams are good and it will be interesting to see if Jeff Driskel and Florida can compete with the stronger SEC teams this season.

Prediction: UF 28 Tenn 13

#1 USC (2-0) @ #21 Stanford (2-0) 
7:30pm ET, FOX

Stanford struggled vs SJSU, but beat up Duke. So far we can't tell what they really are without Andrew Luck. Versus USC, we should be able to tell. USC should get revenge on some losses in previous years.

Prediction: USC 52 Stanford 14

Utah State (2-0) @ #25 Wisconsin (1-1) 
8:00pm ET, Big Ten Network

Wisconsin needs to get it together because Utah State is dangerous and will cause some problems here. Would not be suprised at all if the Aggies won.

Prediction: USU 30 Wis 27

Houston (0-2) @ UCLA (2-0) 
10:30pm ET, Pac 12 Network

Can UCLA sustain the momentum and slow down Houston's offense? Can Houston bounce back after two poor showings? It really comes down to if UCLA's offense. Can it match the firepower of Houston's? Houston could run away with this one.

Prediction: UCLA 45 HOU 38


Week 1 Recap

    

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

Big 10 Preview

    
ACC   Big East   Big 12   Pac 12    SEC   Other Conferences    Bowls and Top 50

   
    The Big 10 took a step down last year and was not as strong as usual. Teams still made bowl games, but Big Ten teams were beaten badly in most of them. 

    This year may not be much different. Wisconsin is the favorite again, with Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State close behind. These four teams all have a great shot at a BCS appearance this season. 

Montee Ball, Wisconsin

    Ohio State should be better than last year and post a winning record. But it will not be a record the Buckeyes are accustomed to, and they are still not bowl eligible. 

    Northwestern and Iowa figure to be the next best teams. Both the Wildcats and Hawkeyes will make a bowl game, but will hover around seven or eight wins. 

    Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana will not challenge for the Big 10 title, but they still can make lower-tier bowls this year.

    Minnesota is still a couple of years away and will remain in the cellar.

    The biggest disappointment this year will be Penn State. With the heavy sanctions, having no bowl game, people everywhere rooting against them, and this scandal hanging over their program, it will be hard for Penn State to win more then two games, especially with starters leaving. Penn State will have problems this year and for the years to follow.


Projected Standings:

Leaders:

1. Wisconsin 11-1 (7-1)

2. Ohio State 9-3 (5-3)

3. Illinois 6-6 (4-4)

4. Purdue 6-6 (3-5)

T5. Indiana 5-7 (1-7)

T5. Penn State 2-10 (1-7)


Legends:

1. Michigan 10-2 (7-1)

2. Michigan State 10-2 (6-2)

T3. Nebraska 9-3 (5-3)

T3. Northwestern 8-4 (5-3)

5. Iowa 8-4 (4-4)

6. Minnesota 4-8 (1-7)


Big Ten Championship: Wisconsin over Michigan

Pre-Season Top 50, BCS Bowl Projections

ACC   Big East   Big 10   Big 12   Pac 12   SEC   Other Conferences

     
    My preseason rankings are based on team talent, and my projections for the team. I do have some teams ranked that I do not think will be ranked at the end of the season, but because they still have talent I could very well be wrong about them.

1. USC
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. LSU
6. Oregon
7. South Carolina
8. Wisconsin
9. Arkansas
10. Georgia
11. Michigan
12. Michigan State
13. Virginia Tech
14. Texas
15. West Virginia
16. Clemson
17. Nebraska
18. N.C. State
19. Ohio State
20. Oklahoma State
21. TCU
22. Auburn
23. Louisville
24. Utah
25. Boise State
26. Southern Mississippi
27. Kansas State
28. Houston
29. Washington
30. Iowa
31. Georgia Tech
32. Northwestern
33. Stanford
34. North Carolina
35. Notre Dame
36. Cincinnati
37. Missouri
38. BYU
39. South Florida
40. Ohio
41. Texas A & M
42. Florida
43. Tennessee
44. UCLA
45. Illinois
46. Mississippi State
47. Central Florida
48. Texas Tech
49. Florida International
50. Tulsa

BCS Championship: USC over Alabama

Rose: Wisconsin over Oregon

Fiesta: Oklahoma over Virginia Tech

Sugar:  South Carolina over Michigan

Orange: Florida State over Louisville

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 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 12 Recap

    As we head into rivalry week, lets take a look back at week 12 where a few teams played their last game of the season, and some last until a bowl.

    Because the top two teams in the country, and the #4 team didn't have a game this weekend because of byes,  the top 25 wont have much shuffling near the top. LSU had a scare against Ole Miss which could have lost the Tigers there national title hopes.

    The best game of Saturday would definitely be #7 Ohio State at #19 Iowa. Iowa was lucky in the penalties, and both of Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor's interceptions came from tipped passes that Iowa was lucky to grab. But at the end, Ohio State just played better football and escaped with a 20-17 point win.

    The Big 10's three best teams, which are Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan State, all have one loss and are tied at the top of the conference. If all three teams win this Saturday, Wisconsin and Ohio State will make the BCS while Michigan State will go to the Capital One Bowl. This all because if the three teams are tied, based on the BCS standings the top two will go to BCS bowls.

    Michigan State needs Northwestern to beat Wisconsin, or Michigan to beat rival Ohio State. But they will have there hands full with Penn State who is trying to get that extra win in order to get to a more prestigious bowl.

    However I feel that Penn State ill upset the Spartans, and play spoiler to their chances. After a loss Michigan State would need Wisconsin and Ohio State to both be blown out by Northwestern and Michigan, yet that is a long shot. Regardless of a win or loss, Michigan State should get ready for Orlando, Florida and a match up with either LSU or Alabama.

   I would like to point out that last week i predicted two upsets. The first one was #17 Texas A&M to beat #8 Nebraska by a score of 49-43. A shootout. But while A&M did pull off the upset, it ws a defensive struggle insted that was won by a small score of 9-6.

    The other game i predicted an upset in was #22 Mississippi State to beat #13 Arkansas. And while i was incorrect in the winner, I did come close as Arkansas won 38-31 in double-overtime.

Top 25

1. Oregon 10-0

2. Auburn 11-0

3. Boise State 10-0

4. TCU 11-0

5. Wisconsin 10-1

6. Ohio State 10-1

7. LSU 10-1

8. Stanford 10-1

9. Alabama 9-2

10, Oklahoma State 10-1

11. Michigan State 10-1

12. Arkansas 9-2

13. Oklahoma 9-2

14. Texas A&M 8-3

15. Virginia Tech 9-2

16. Missouri 9-2

17. Nebraska 9-2

18. South Carolina 8-3

19. Florida State 8-3

20. Nevada 10-1

21. Arizona 8-3

22. Iowa 7-4

23. N.C. State 8-3

24. Mississippi State 7-4

25. Northern Illinois 9-2

Next 5 in: Utah (9-2), Tulsa (8-3), West Virginia (7-3), Florida (7-4), Ohio (8-3)

What To Watch:

#2 Auburn @ #9 Alabama (Fri, 2:30pm ET, CBS) Prediction: ALA 30 AUB 28

#21 Arizona @ #1 Oregon (Fri, 7:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: ORE 44 ARI 20

#3 Boise State @ #19 Nevada (Fri, 10:15pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: BSU 45 NEV 3

#11 Michigan State @ Penn State (Sat, 12:00pm ET, Big 10 Network) PSU 27 MSU 17

Northwestern @ #5 Wisconsin (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ABC) Prediction: WIS 42 NW 21

Florida @ #19 Florida State (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ABC) Prediction: FSU 20 FLOR 14

#13 Oklahoma @ #10 Oklahoma State (Sat, 8:00pm ET, ABC) Prediction: OSU 39 OKL 37

   

College Football Week 11 Recap

    This Saturday of College Football can for certain be called "the week of the upset that never was" as #1 Oregon, #3 TCU, #8 Stanford, and #21 Nevada all experienced scares of loosing what they hoped for that season, as all had close games to the wire, but came out with the win.

    In fact, only three ranked teams lost this Saturday to unranked opponents. That being #14 Iowa, #16 Utah, and #18 Arizona. 

     But the majority of close, down to the wire games this weekend ended up not being in the underdogs favor.

    For the top ranked Oregon Ducks, they played Pac-10 foe Cal. Cal needs one more win to become bowl eligible, and next week have a game against #8 Stanford. 

    But to be sure of an invitation, the Golden Bears must win at least one of their games against the two top teams in the Pac-10, and then a win against Washington, who is in a similar position.

      It looked like Cal might be able to get that win as the halftime score was 8-7 at halftime in the Ducks favor. Near the beginning of the fourth quarter, Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio made a field goad, but took a step forward to early. This causing a penalty and a re-kick. 


    Now only needing to make a 29 yard field goal, Tavecchio missed. Cal stayed down 15-13, and that's how it stayed. And Cal could not pull off the victory.

    Similar situations occurred for #3 TCU who beat #25 San Diego State by four points. This game came right down to the end, but TCU escaped with the win.

    SDSU definitely showed they are legit, and while they will fall out of the Top 25, they should win out the rest and finish in the rankings. Utah is up next week, followed by UNLV. 
   
    I project a win for the Aztecs, due to the fact that Utah was supposed to beat Notre Dame and be motivated due to the whipping received at the hands of TCU. But an embarrassment came once more and they lost 28-3.

    Utah seems to have lost confidence. Two straight losses have shown an affect on this team, and they need to turn it around to salvage for a better bowl game then the likes of the Independence or Emerald Bowl.

    The other types of game that happened over the weekend were games where a top ranked team was behind for a lot of the game, but able to pull away with a big win. A good example of this went down in Columbus, Ohio were Penn State and Ohio State battled it out.

    The ninth ranked Buckeyes for Ohio State were down 14-3 at halftime in Columbus against the 6-4 Penn State Nittny Lions. An upset was sensed all over the state. But right out of the gate starting the second half, Ohio State went on a tear, and scored 35 unanswered points to beat Penn State 38-14, and remain keep BCS hopes alive.    


    The first half was rough for the Buckeyes, who gave up two touchdowns to Penn State quarterback Mathew McGloin. Penn State was tearing up the Buckeye defense, and Ohio State fans remembered this defense as the one who gave up 21 points in the first half to Wisconsin.


    In the second half however, it was a completly different story. McGloin threw two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns. Soon, after only gaining 17 yards after halftime, he was benched and backup quarterback Robert Bolden was brought in. But Bolden went 0/3 in pass completions and soon McGloin was put back in but could not do anything.
McGloin did have an apparent hand injury in the seconed quarter, but played through it.


    This could have been contributing to his problems and poor play.

    As for Ohio State in the seconed half, they played almost perfect football. The Buckeyes had three offensive touchdowns, and two defensive. If not for a Terrelle Pryor interception in the third while in the red zone, it very well could have had anothe six points.

    Regardless, Pryor had two touchdown passes. One was a three yard pass to tight end Jake Stoneburner, and another was a 58 yard pass that was intended for DeVier Posey, was then tipped by a Penn State defender, but snatched by Buckeye Dane Sanzenbacher for the touochdown.


    Ohio State running back Dan Herron added a touchdown starting the second quarter, making it 13 total touchdowns to his All-American worthy season. He also gained a career high 190 yards rushing on 21 attempts.

    In all, Ohio State can expect to jump in the rankings, and Penn State needs a win next week against the 4-6 Indiana Hoosiers to get into a respected bowl game.

    So many games this weekend came down to the wire, but not many were able to pull of the upset. So not much will change in the Top 25. But you can expect to see some shifts.

     TCU's victory over San Diego State was to close for comfort, and the Horned Frogs, while still having a tougher conference and more games, will not maintain the lead over Boise State and will move down a spot to #4. But a national title spot is not out of reach if Auburn or Oregon loose. They can always jump Boise State for that spot.

Top 25

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

Next 5 in: Miami (FL) 7-3 N.C. State 7-3, San Diego State 7-3, Northwestern 7-3, Michigan 7-3

    Before we start What To Watch, I would like to point out that the reason Georgia State vs Alabama is on this list, is that this is Georgia State's first year of having a football team. The Panthers are 6-4, and have had a very impressive inaugural season. While they will most likely finish there first season 6-5 after a loss to the Crimson Tide, it is very hard to go above .500 in your first season. It would be worth your while to tune in to the Thursday night game, even for a possession or two to see this game on ESPNU. Congratulations Panthers on a great season and good luck in the future.

What To Watch

Georgia State @ #10 Alabama (Thu, 7:30pm ET, ESPNU) Prediction: ALA 59 GSU 7

Fresno State @ #3 Boise State (Fri, 9:30pm ET, ESPN2) Prediction: BSU 37 FSU 10

#5 Wisconsin @ Michigan (Sat, 12:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: WIS 34 MICH 21

#7 Ohio State @ #19 Iowa (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ABC) Prediction: OSU 31 IOWA 28

#16 Virginia Tech @ Miami (FL) (Sat, 3:30pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: VT 28 MIA 13

#22 Mississippi State @ #13 Arkansas (Sat, 7:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: MSU 34 ARK 28

#8 Nebraska @ #19 Texas A&M (Sat, 8:00pm ET, ABC) Prediction: TAM 49 NEB 43

#20 Florida State @ Maryland (Sat, 8:00pm ET, ESPN) Prediction: MARY 20 FSU 15