Saturday, September 3, 2011

College Football Week 1 Preview


                                Tulsa @ #1 Oklahoma
                                                 This game features a match-up between two high-flying offenses lead by two of the country’s best quarterbacks. Landry Jones of Oklahoma everyone has heard of as one of the top Heisman candidates this year. G.J. Kinne gets less recognition because of the conference he plays in, but over two years of being the starter at Tulsa, he has proven to be every bit the player that Landry Jones is. However, with star Wideout/Returner Damaris Johnson likely going to miss the game due to a suspension, the supporting cast favors Oklahoma, as does the home field advantage. Sooners win this one.

                                Kent State @ #2 Alabama
                                                 Alabama’s new quarterback will have a nice easy start his season against a hopelessly over-matched Kent State team. Roll Tide.
                               
                                #3 Oregon @ #4 LSU *Game of the Week*  
                                                 This is going to be an interesting matchup. Oregon’s fast pace and wide open offense against the stingy and athletic defense of LSU. If there is any team that can match up with Oregon’s offense athletically, it’s the LSU defense. They’ve should be able to move laterally well enough to slow the running game down, but there is the question of the LSU offense against the Oregon defense. Oregon’s defense is just as quick and athletic as their offense, though they are often less disciplined than the stouter LSU defense. LSU’s offense has their own problems with the questions surrounding Jarrett Lee and his ability to lead this team. That being said LSU is also returning more of their defensive unit. So this will be interesting to watch. The quarterback situation will be key and I think the more experienced Nate Coasta will out-perform Lee. Oregon wins this one.
                                 
                                #5 Boise State @ #19 Georgia
                                                 Boise State starts their yearly quest for national respect by taking on yet another strong team from a powerhouse conference. Both teams feature strong quarterback play with Andy Murray and Kellen Moore. Both are losing their top receiving options in AJ Green and Titus Young/Austin Pettis respectively. Boise State has the clear advantage in the running game with top rusher Doug Martin returning while Georgia is heavily relying on incoming freshman Isaiah Cromwell to provide a running game. They are also replacing a large portion of their offensive line while Boise state is returning the majority of their starters. Georgia has more talent defensively, but Boise State has always outplayed their opponents when it comes to defense, relying mostly on good coaching and effort. This should be the case here. I’m picking Boise State because of their excellent coaching and quarterback play.
                                 
                                Louisiana-Monroe @ #6 Florida State
                                                 Florida State gets a relatively restful start to the season in facing a Sun Belt that has had the arrow pointed down on them for a quite a period of time. It should be an easy way for EJ Mauel to ease into the starting role. Florida State wins.
                                 
                                San Jose State @ #7 Stanford
                                                 Stanford has to adjust to the loss of head coach Jim Harbaugh, but that adjustment will be made easier by the presence of Andrew Luck and an easy opener against San Jose State. They should win this easily.
                                 
                                SMU @ #8 Texas A&M
                                                 Texas A&M is a lot of people’s dark horse choice to make a national title run. I don’t see the appeal for that kind of praise personally, but they are a good team and could win the Big 12. They should be able to handle the up-and-coming, but still not quite there SMU team.
                                 
                                Louisiana-Lafayette @ #9 Oklahoma State
                                                 Oklahoma State has a chance to make a rare national title run, and that run will begin with a relatively easy test against an overmatched Louisiana-Lafayette team. Look for big games from Justin Blackmon and Branden Weeden.

                                Tennessee-Chattanoga @ #10 Nebraska
                                                 Nebraska will roll against an FCS team.

                                UNLV @ #11 Wisconsin
                                                Wisconsin fans will get a chance to see their new quarterback, Russell Wilson in his first game with the Badgers. He’s athletic ability and strong throwing arm will help compliment the already strong running attack that has made the Wisconsin badgers such a powerhouse team. He should have an easy time picking apart the UNLV secondary. Wisconsin wins.

                                East Carolina @ #12 South Carolina
                                                 East Carolina is a raising power in college football, however they are not quite at the point where they can compete with an SEC opponent. South Carolina should win this.

                                Appalachian State @ #13 Virginia Tech
                                                 While Appalachian State has had big upsets in the past, they haven’t quite been that team since losing Armanti Edwards to the NFL. I doubt they’ll be able to match up against the extremely well coached Virginia Tech Hokies. Va-Tech for the win.

                                #14 TCU @ Baylor
                                                 This is be an interesting game, with an uninteresting outcome. Baylor has the advantage at quarterback, but TCU has the advantage almost everywhere else. TCU should win, though the game will be closer than most think.

                                Missouri State @ #15 Arkansas
                                                 Arkansas, with or without leading rushing Knile Davis, shouldn’t struggle with Missouri State.
                               
                                South Florida @ #16 Notre Dame
                                                 South Florida should give Notre Dame a run in this game. Returning quarterback BJ Daniels gives the Bulls a bit of an edge over the Fighting Irish in terms of quarterback play. While the Irish have a better supporting cast, the Bulls should win this because of that quarterback advantage.
               
                                Youngstown State @ #17 Michigan State
                                                 Michigan State is expected to make a similar run to Texas A&M and South Carolina in their respective conferences. They should have an easy start to this run with Youngstown State. The Spartans win.

                                Akron @ #18 Ohio State
                                                Ohio State should have little problem pacing an over-matched Akron team, in spite of all the turmoil surrounding their off-season and the roster turnover.

                  #20 Mississippi State @ Memphis
                                                Mississippi State should roll Memphis.
                 
                   Miami (Ohio) @ #21 Missouri
                                                Missouri will have to adjust to a new quarterback, but they return a good number of their offensive playmakers. They should have an easy time with Miami (Ohio)

                                Florida Atlantic @ #22 Florida
                                                 Howard Schellenberger’s final season as the head coach of Florida Atlantic will not be getting off to a hot start. Florida, struggles and all, should be able to pace the Owls.

                                Utah State @ #23 Auburn
                                                 Auburn has a lot of talent to replace, however Utah State’s talent just isn’t on the same level.

                                Marshall @ #24 West Virginia
                                                 This game could be interesting to watch. While West Virginia should have the advantage in terms of talent, however Marshall outplayed them in some regards a year ago. Combined with the turmoil of the head coaching situation and a new running back, Marshall could pull this out. I will still pick West Virginia though.

                                Minnesota @ #25 USC
                                                 Minnesota has a new quarterback, a new conference opponent, a new head coach and a new offensive system. All of these against a generally more talented team in USC. Trojans 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.                         

                                Northwestern @ Boston College
                                                 This game will be interesting to watch. Northwestern’s high flying passing offense going against the top returning rusher in the ACC. BC’s Montel Harris is a good rusher for the spread-type offense that the BC runs currently and should make up for any short-coming the Eagles have at quarterback this year. However, I think the more well-disciplined  Northwestern defense will overcome any short-comings they have at the quarterback position, what with Dan Persa missing this game while recovering from a torn ACL. Northwestern wins.
                                 
         Top 10 Heisman Candidates
1.       LaMichael James – With the fast pace offense of Oregon and James’ ability to break big plays, James should be at the head of most discussion about the Heisman.

2.       Andrew Luck – Andrew Luck had a very good season last year and comes into this year as many people’s front runner for the Heisman. I think the loss of Jim Harbaugh and the subsequent offensive change will be enough to keep him from winning though.

3.       Landry Jones – Landry Jones is a lot like Sam Bradford before him. He has a lot of passing talent, but he is very much dependent on the cast around him to help him produce at a Heisman like season.

4.       Kellen Moore – I said it last year and I’ll say it again, Kellen Moore is the best quarterback in the country.

5.       Trent Richardson– Given how much Alabama relies on the running game, Richardson should have a good chance to repeat what Mark Ingram did two years ago.

6.       Taylor Martinez – With stronger opponents in the Big Ten, should Taylor Martinez  produce the way he did a year ago, he will get a much better chance of winning the Heisman trophy.

7.       Matt Barkley – He likely won’t win it, in large part because of the sanctions USC is under, but he has been a solid quarterback since joining the Trojans and will make a good case.

8.       Justin Blackmon – Blackmon is probably the most explosive wide receiver in the country and should have an excellent chance to be the first wide receiver to win the award in a long while.

9.       Denard Robinson – Robinson who is a lot like LaMichael James at quarterback. However, he got figured out last year and the same may happen this year.

10.   Branden Weeden – Oklahoma State has a great chance to be an offensive powerhouse, which Weeden would be the center off. But he loses points because of the quality of play of Justin Blackmon.