College Football Week 1 Preview.

San Jose State @ #1 Alabama
This is pretty much a warm-up game for Alabama. I hate to say that and be so cruel to the players of San Jose State, but really there is a very small chance that they will pull the upset. The only chance the Spartans have is if the Alabama players spend more time looking forward to their game against Penn State…..and half of the Tide players catch the flu. Alabama wins.



Marshall @ #2 Ohio State
Another warm-up game. Sadly, Marshall has about as good a chance to defeat Ohio State as San Jose State has to beating Alabama. Ohio State wins.



#3 Boise State @ #10 Virginia Tech (Game of the Week)
The first match-up between two top ten ranked teams this season, this game features two of my top ten favorites to win the Heisman trophy (Kellen Moore and Ryan Williams). The one stat that should be pivotal to this game is the rushing defense of Boise State. While they ranked 28th in rush defense a year ago, they were gashed in the games against Fresno State (with Ryan Mathews) and Nevada (three 1000+ yard rushers last season), each team averaging over 5 yards per carry against them. If Ryan Williams can replicate that kind of performance in this game, there is good chance that Virginia Tech will be able to pull out this victory. However, against the nation’s 6th ranked rushing offense (Oregon), Boise State was able to hold the Ducks to only 31 total rushing yards. For all the other statistics that can be brought up regarding this game, that statistic is the one that I think is key. In a nationally televised game and against a high ranking opponent from a BCS conference, Boise State did little else but dominate. That is what Head Coach Chris Peterson brings, a preparedness that is second to none. It is for this reason that I am picking Boise State to win this game, though it will be very close.



Miami (Ohio) @ #4 Florida
A bottom of the rung MAC team facing one of the best teams in the SEC at home, do I really need to say more? Even with a new quarterback, Florida should win this game handily.



#5 Texas @ Rice
Texas has dominated this series and should continue this season. Rice is replacing both their quarterback and the majority of their offensive line, not a good combination when facing a team like Texas. Texas wins and Garrett Gilbert gets chance to ease into the starting job.



#24 Oregon State @ #6 TCU
Another great game coming up in this first week, facing TCU’s dominate offense and defense against Oregon State’s dominating runnningback/wide receiver combination of JaQuizz and James Rogers. While the Rogers brothers are dynamic playmakers and Oregon State has the chance to win the Pac-10, TCU is returning 16 starters from a team that ranked in the top ten nationally in both offense and defense. TCU should win this game, though it will be interesting to see how they win it.



Utah State @ #7 Oklahoma
While Utah State is taking steps forward, those steps are small and not big enough to compete with a dominant team like Oklahoma. Oklahoma is going to win big.



Western Kentucky @ #8 Nebraska
While Nebraska isn’t going to struggle against Western Kentucky and should win easily, it’ll still be interesting to see of the Cornhusker’s defensive line plays without the dominant force of Ndamukong Suh in there.



Eastern Illinois @ #9 Iowa

Iowa will dominate. Enough said.



New Mexico @ #11 Oregon
Even with all the turmoil and turnover that has defined the offseason of the Oregon Ducks, they should be able to cope with a New Mexico team that has been steadily declining in quality over the years. This will be a good chance for Oregon to find out what they have in quarterback Darron Thomas.



#12 Wisconsin @ UNLV
Another middle of the road Mountain West team facing a potential BCS title contender; sorry UNLV, but your first victory of the season will be found on another date.



Florida A&M @ #13 Miami (Fl.)
Florida A&M has crawled their way out of the doldrums to be a contender in MEAC. Too bad it’s equivalent of an ant pushing a crumb when compared to the mighty Hurricanes of Miami. Miami will win this game handily.



#14 USC @ Hawaii
USC gets a Hawaiian vacation. Not only do they get to travel to Hawaii, but they face a team that they have dominated the last couple of times the two have faced each other. Sorry Hawaii fans, but look on the bright side, your team’s upcoming schedule is pretty nice.



#15 Pittsburgh @ Utah
Ahhh, now this is a game that causes a real stir of emotions in me. Utah is one of the top programs in the country, regardless of the conference they okay in. I really, REALLY want to pick them to pull the upset in this game. There are two main reasons that I’m not doing that. One is Jordan Wynn, the Utah quarterback. While the sophomore is expected to take big strides forward this year, the simple fact is that he is a sophomore quarterback facing one of the best pass rushers in the country (Greg Romeus). Just not the best combination for a victory. The second reason is Dion Lewis, my favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. I just think he will find a way to have a dominant game and pull Pitt through. While I am picking Pitt, do not be surprised if Utah pulls the upset.



South Carolina State @ #16 Georgia Tech
While South Carolina State is looking for their third straight MEAC title, that little distinction is going to mean very little to last year’s ACC champions. At least Joshua Nesbitt can have some time to work on his passing skills.



Tennessee Tech @ #17 Arkansas
Arkansas is a raising power in the SEC and should have no problem getting through a game against Tennessee Tech.



#21 LSU and #18 North Carolina
This is one of the more interesting games happening this weekend. North Carolina is a raising power in the ACC while LSU is an established power in the SEC. Both teams have a lot of defensive talent and their starting quarterback from the previous season returning. However, with all of the turmoil that has surrounded North Carolina in recent weeks with the accusations of illicit contact with agents, I don’t think that the North Carolina players or coaching staff will be able to completely focus on the game at hand. LSU doesn’t have these issues and has one of the best coaches in the country guiding them. I think LSU will win in a mild upset. Update: This game is no longer an upset. With North Carolina losing up to 16 players to suspensions, including 7 defensive starters, LSU should win handily.



Youngstown State @ #19 Penn State
Evan Royster and company get to start the season with a bang. Blowout win for Penn State.



Samford @ #20 Florida State

Two of College Football Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden’s former jobs face each other in this match-up. Yes, Samford was one of Bobby Bowden’s early coaching jobs before he made Florida State the powerhouse it is today. Sadly for Samford, Bobby Bowden’s last stop should dominate this game.



Arkansas State @ #22 Auburn
While Arkansas State is improving within the Sun Belt, they are still not a match for Auburn.



Louisiana-Lafayette @ #23 Georgia
Same deal as the previous game.



Coastal Carolina @ #25 West Virginia
Do I really need to explain why I am picking West Virginia to win?



Other Games of Note


There are very few games that have any impact on conference title races this week, so I’m going to focus on games I think are good match-ups.
Connecticut @ Michigan
As UConn has raised up from the doldrums of the college football ranks, Michigan has descended from the heights of glory to the purgatory of mediocrity. I find this matchup interesting because of where both teams are currently; one trying to rise to prominence, the other trying to regain lost glory. It’s my belief that this game relies entirely on the performance of Jordan Todman (UConn runningback) and Tate Forcier (Michigan quarterback). Whoever has the better game should be able to lead their team to a victory. I think Tate Forcier is going to have a breakout year, so by extension, I think he is going to have the better game. So, Michigan wins.



SMU @ Texas Tech
Similar to the Connecticut vs. Michigan game, this is game that features one team on the rise (SMU) and the other on the decline (Texas Tech). I’d also say that this was a game of similar high flying offenses, but Tommy Tuberville (the new Texas Tech head coach) isn’t really known for high flying offense. While June Jones is helping SMU improve, they still need more time to be able to compete with BCS teams, even ones that are on the downswing. Texas Tech wins.



Colorado vs. Colorado State
The Rocky Mountain Showdown. This is the first of the rivalry games that define the college football experience to be played this season. While neither team is going to be especially good this season, this game still should be. While Colorado State won it last year, their replacing their quarterback and top two wide receivers. It’s because of this fact, that I am picking Colorado to win the game.



UCLA @ Kansas State
Another game between two less prominent teams, that match-up fairly well. Both teams ranked around the same spot in offense and defense, though those numbers should be taken with a grain of salt since both teams lost about half of their defensive starters from a year ago (UCLA: 6, Kansas State: 5). These losses are going to make the play of the offenses much more important. While UCLA is returning more offensive starters (8), none of those starters are as dominant as Kansas State’s runningback Daniel Thomas. If Thomas has a big game, which I believe he will, then Kansas State should pull out the victory, which I believe they will.



Washington @ BYU
A year ago, this game wouldn’t have registered on anyone’s radar. Washington was a bottom-feeding Pac-10 school and BYU was one of the most dominant non-BCS teams in the country. This year, Washington has a chance to make their first bowl game since 2002 and BYU is trying to find a new quarterback, now that Max Hall has moved on. However, even with a new quarterback, BYU is not without talent. If Jake Locker has a great game, then Washington has a good chance of winning. I think the growing pains are going to be a bit too much for BYU to deal with in this game at least. Washington gets a big win early in the season.



Cincinnati @ Fresno State
While both teams have seen prominent members of their offense leave for the draft, they’re still fairly evenly matched teams, though in different ways. Fresno State is pounding running team that prides itself on being able to take on any challenge, while Cincinnati brings a fast-paced, high octane offense to the table that should be able to compete with anyone. In this match-up, Cincinnati brings a somewhat experienced quarterback to the table, while there is less certainty about where Fresno State will be drawing most of their offense from. For this reason, I’m picking Cincinnati to win.



Tulsa @ East Carolina
Perhaps the most important game being previewed here, this is the only game between conference opponents being played this weekend. While most analysts believe that East Carolina is going to fall off with the loss of Skip Holtz and only 8 starters returning. But I think they’ll be alright. Most of the new starters have at least some experience and I was impressed with the way Ruffin McNeill coached up Texas Tech for their bowl game last year. All that being said they’re not going to beat Tulsa, but it will be an interesting match-up to watch and could be pivotal in determining who comes out on top in Conference USA.



Bowling Green @ Troy
While both teams are replacing quarterbacks, this should still be a fun match-up to watch. Both teams use an up-tempo, wide open offense that emphasizes match-ups, so this could be a high scoring affair. Sadly for Bowling Green, Troy’s defense should be able to stifle their passing game long enough to give Troy the victory.