If future me came to me and gave me a sports almanac and I looked up the Utah-Oregon score, I would have thought for sure it was a typo. Utah crushed Oregon Saturday night. I definitely wasn't expecting that. There were some other outcomes I was not expecting. UCLA lumped up Arizona and Michigan destroyed BYU.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have been surprising me this year, too. I had a feeling they would be 4-0 at this point, but they have looked solid doing it. I didn't expect them to beat North Texas 62-16, especially since Kirk Ferentz was up against his good buddy, Dan McCarney. C.J. Beathard moved to 5-0 as a starter, and the offense was clicking all day. Can the Hawks use that momentum to knock off Wisconsin next week in Madison? If they can, I think they will have a good shot to win the west division.
Top 25
1-Ohio State 4-0 had no problem with Western Michigan
2-Utah 4-0 they moved up because they have a great resume so far
3-Michigan State 4-0 beat Central Michigan with ease
4-Baylor 3-0 crushed Rice and put up 70
5-Ole Miss 4-0 struggled for awhile with Vanderbilt before pulling away
6-Georgia 4-0 beat up on Southern
7-TCU 4-0 what a great finish as they knocked off Texas Tech
8-UCLA 4-0 beat up on Arizona on the road
9-Florida State 3-0 was idle
10-Notre Dame 4-0 beat UMASS
11-LSU 3-0 kind of struggled at Syracuse
12-Clemson 3-0 was idle
13-Oklahoma 3-0 was idle
14-Texas A&M 4-0 knocked off Arkansas in overtime
15-Alabama 3-1 beat UL-Monroe easily
16-Stanford 3-1 beat Oregon State
17-USC 3-1 beat Arizona State
18-Northwestern 4-0 struggled with Ball State, but stayed undefeated
19-Wisconsin 3-1 shut out Hawaii
20-Miami 3-0 was idle
21-Oklahoma State 4-0 beat Texas
22-West Virginia 3-0 beat up on Maryland
23-Florida 4-0 stunned Tennessee
24-Mississippi State 3-1 beat Auburn
25-California 4-0 knocked off Washington
Games of the Week
I went 6-5 last week with my predictions, which puts me at 26-15 for the season. There are quite a few good match ups this week.
Mississippi State at Texas A&M: I don't think either team will win the division, but the winner of this game will certainly stay in the race longer. Texas A&M 31 Mississippi State 24
Alabama at Georgia: If Alabama loses, their playoff shot will disappear. I'm going to try to watch this game, I think Georgia pulls it off. Georgia 34 Alabama 27
Ole Miss at Florida: Florida has really surprised me this year, I wasn't even sure if they'd make a bowl game looking at their schedule. I think Ole Miss is too good though. Ole Miss 27 Florida 21
Arizona State at UCLA: This one might end up being a blowout if UCLA plays like they did last week. ASU has struggled this year, too. UCLA 38 Arizona State 24
New Mexico State at New Mexico: The Lobos look to go to 3-2 with a win against in-state rival, New Mexico State, one of the worst teams in college football. New Mexico 56 New Mexico State 24
Notre Dame at Clemson: This is a tough one to predict, could be a really close game. I think Clemson pulls it off. Clemson 24 Notre Dame 21
Boston College at Duke: Boston College has looked pretty good this year, and Duke just knocked off Georgia Tech, which will help them in the division race. Duke 23 Boston College 21
Iowa at Wisconsin: This game will be huge for the Hawkeyes if they can pull off the win on the road. Wisconsin won't have their top RB, Corey Clement either. Iowa 28 Wisconsin 21
Minnesota at Northwestern: Another game that will help with determining the division champion. Northwestern has been one of the biggest surprise teams of the year and Minnesota has had a couple of close calls with some teams that they should have beaten with ease. Northwestern 17 Minnesota 14
Texas Tech at Baylor: Tech came really close to knocking off TCU last week, will have enough in the tank to hang with Baylor? Baylor 56 Texas Tech 45
Kansas State at Oklahoma State: Both teams are undefeated coming in. Oklahoma State 31 Kansas State 24
West Virginia at Oklahoma: The Mountaineers crushed Maryland on Saturday. Oklahoma 31 West Virginia 27
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
College Football Week 3
Another fun weekend of college football is in the books. Iowa played a hard fought battle with Pittsburgh, winning 27-24 as Marshall Koehn drilled a 57 yard field goal as time expired. I was doing a show at a VFW Saturday night, so I didn't get to see the game live, but followed it on Twitter. The show was a lot of fun, by the way. Met some great people, I always enjoy performing for those guys. When I got home I was able to watch part of the game before I passed out, I watched the rest in the morning. I think if Iowa still had Jake Rudock at QB they would be 1-2 right now. C.J. Beathard is a bad ass. He took a pounding against Pitt and still racked up nearly 300 yards of total offense.
I was able to catch the last quarter of the Alabama-Ole Miss game, too. I watched with my friends Holly and Nick, Holly is a huge Alabama fan. They were down 19 in the fourth, but their comeback fell short.
New Top 25
1-Ohio State 3-0 had a really difficult time with Northern Illinois, I watched most of the game and they were really struggling. Too many turnovers.
2-Michigan State 3-0 knocked off Air Force
3-Baylor 2-0 had a bye week
4-TCU 3-0 had no problem with SMU
5-Georgia 3-0 crushed South Carolina
6-Ole Miss 3-0 knocked off Alabama on the road
7-Florida State 3-0 had some trouble with Boston College, offense wasn't clicking
8-UCLA 3-0 won a close one against BYU
9-LSU 2-0 destroyed Auburn, Leonard Fournette is a beast
10-Notre Dame 3-0 knocked off Georgia Tech
11-Clemson 3-0 nice win at Louisville
12-Oklahoma 3-0 had a little bit of a scare against Tulsa
13-Texas A&M 2-0 beat Nevada
14-Alabama 2-1 offense is really missing Amari Cooper
15-USC 2-1 lost to Stanford at home
16-Oregon 2-1 crushed Georgia State
17-Northwestern 3-0 quite possibly the surprise team of the year with a win at Duke, defense looks solid
18-Wisconsin 2-1 beat Troy 28-3
19-Stanford 2-1 won at USC
20-Arizona 3-0 crushed Northern Arizona
21-Missouri 3-0 struggled with UCONN
22-Miami 3-0 beat Nebraska in overtime after a 23 point lead early
23-Arizona State 2-1 beat New Mexico
24-Utah 3-0 easy win at Fresno
25-Georgia Tech 2-1 lost a tough game against Notre Dame
Top Games
I'm 20-10 now on the year, there are some great games this week, especially in the Pac12.
Georgia Tech at Duke: Both teams coming off losses last week. Georgia Tech 34 Duke 24
North Texas at Iowa: Iowa has a lot of momentum heading into their game with North Texas. Iowa 45 North Texas 14
TCU at Texas Tech: Texas Tech knocked off Arkansas last week, can they give TCU a game? TCU 49 Texas Tech 42
New Mexico at Wyoming: The Lobos are 1-2 and could really use a win if they want to make a bowl game, Wyoming looks awful so far. New Mexico 38 Wyoming 27
California at Washington: Cal has looked really sharp on offense, can they win a big road game for the second straight week? California 48 Washington 38
UCLA at Arizona: Both teams are undefeated heading into this one, can Arizona pull off the upset? Arizona 31 UCLA 27
USC at Arizona State: Each team already has one loss this year and the loser will certainly be eliminated from any playoff hopes. USC 31 Arizona State 28
Utah at Oregon: Utah has looked great so far this year, but Oregon has too much talent. Oregon 38 Utah 27
Tennessee at Florida: Florida is off to a 3-0 start, but they haven't looked very sharp. Tennessee 28 Florida 17
Mississippi State at Auburn: Auburn has looked really bad the last two weeks, a win against Mississippi State could give them some confidence. Auburn 24 Mississippi State 17
Texas A&M at Arkansas: Arkansas has lost to Toledo and Texas Tech the last two weeks, they really need a win. Texas A&M 34 Arkansas 27
I was able to catch the last quarter of the Alabama-Ole Miss game, too. I watched with my friends Holly and Nick, Holly is a huge Alabama fan. They were down 19 in the fourth, but their comeback fell short.
New Top 25
1-Ohio State 3-0 had a really difficult time with Northern Illinois, I watched most of the game and they were really struggling. Too many turnovers.
2-Michigan State 3-0 knocked off Air Force
3-Baylor 2-0 had a bye week
4-TCU 3-0 had no problem with SMU
5-Georgia 3-0 crushed South Carolina
6-Ole Miss 3-0 knocked off Alabama on the road
7-Florida State 3-0 had some trouble with Boston College, offense wasn't clicking
8-UCLA 3-0 won a close one against BYU
9-LSU 2-0 destroyed Auburn, Leonard Fournette is a beast
10-Notre Dame 3-0 knocked off Georgia Tech
11-Clemson 3-0 nice win at Louisville
12-Oklahoma 3-0 had a little bit of a scare against Tulsa
13-Texas A&M 2-0 beat Nevada
14-Alabama 2-1 offense is really missing Amari Cooper
15-USC 2-1 lost to Stanford at home
16-Oregon 2-1 crushed Georgia State
17-Northwestern 3-0 quite possibly the surprise team of the year with a win at Duke, defense looks solid
18-Wisconsin 2-1 beat Troy 28-3
19-Stanford 2-1 won at USC
20-Arizona 3-0 crushed Northern Arizona
21-Missouri 3-0 struggled with UCONN
22-Miami 3-0 beat Nebraska in overtime after a 23 point lead early
23-Arizona State 2-1 beat New Mexico
24-Utah 3-0 easy win at Fresno
25-Georgia Tech 2-1 lost a tough game against Notre Dame
Top Games
I'm 20-10 now on the year, there are some great games this week, especially in the Pac12.
Georgia Tech at Duke: Both teams coming off losses last week. Georgia Tech 34 Duke 24
North Texas at Iowa: Iowa has a lot of momentum heading into their game with North Texas. Iowa 45 North Texas 14
TCU at Texas Tech: Texas Tech knocked off Arkansas last week, can they give TCU a game? TCU 49 Texas Tech 42
New Mexico at Wyoming: The Lobos are 1-2 and could really use a win if they want to make a bowl game, Wyoming looks awful so far. New Mexico 38 Wyoming 27
California at Washington: Cal has looked really sharp on offense, can they win a big road game for the second straight week? California 48 Washington 38
UCLA at Arizona: Both teams are undefeated heading into this one, can Arizona pull off the upset? Arizona 31 UCLA 27
USC at Arizona State: Each team already has one loss this year and the loser will certainly be eliminated from any playoff hopes. USC 31 Arizona State 28
Utah at Oregon: Utah has looked great so far this year, but Oregon has too much talent. Oregon 38 Utah 27
Tennessee at Florida: Florida is off to a 3-0 start, but they haven't looked very sharp. Tennessee 28 Florida 17
Mississippi State at Auburn: Auburn has looked really bad the last two weeks, a win against Mississippi State could give them some confidence. Auburn 24 Mississippi State 17
Texas A&M at Arkansas: Arkansas has lost to Toledo and Texas Tech the last two weeks, they really need a win. Texas A&M 34 Arkansas 27
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
College Football Week 2
Week 2 is in the books, there were some great games this weekend. I had to miss the first quarter of the Iowa-Iowa State game because of a baseball game on Fox. It was another great game, but Iowa pulled away late! C.J. Beathard had a great game for the Hawkeyes, he had two huge runs when they were pinned deep. It's pretty refreshing seeing a QB like him running the team after watching James Vandenberg and Jake Rudock the last few years. Iowa lost two of their top players, LeShun Daniels and Drew Ott, in the first half. Even without their top defensive player, the Hawkeyes shut out the Cyclones in the second half. I really like this year's team, they're playing with a lot of heart and they're not as predictable as they've been the last couple of years. I was shocked to see them run a fake field goal for the second week in a row. The Hawkeyes now stand at 2-0 and will host Pittsburgh this week, who is also 2-0.
Top 25
1-Ohio State 2-0 had no problem with Hawaii
2-Alabama 2-0 easy win against Middle Tennessee
3-Michigan State 2-0 huge win against Oregon
4-USC 2-0 another easy win for the Trojans
5-Baylor 2-0 kind of struggled early with Lamar (who?)
6-TCU 2-0 put up 70 on Stephen F. Austin
7-Georgia 2-0 got a nice early season conference win
8-Florida State 2-0 Cook had a huge game on the ground
9-Ole Miss 2-0 second straight 70 point game
10-LSU 1-0 big road win at Mississippi State, good way to start the season
11-Clemson 2-0 had no trouble with Appalachian State
12-UCLA 2-0 easy victory over UNLV
13-Oklahoma 2-0 huge road win in overtime at Tennessee
14-Georgia Tech 2-0 they're going to be good this year, tough game this week
15-Texas A&M 2-0 they're better than I expected
16-Missouri 2-0 Arkansas State gave them some problems
17-Notre Dame 2-0 barely squeaked out a win against Virginia, it'll get tougher without Zaire at QB
18-Auburn 2-0 got lucky against Jacksonville State
19-BYU 2-0 my favorite team other than Iowa so far this year, another great win
20-Oregon 1-1 tough loss at Michigan State, but they'll bounce back
21-Northwestern 2-0 they've surprised me so far
22-Wisconsin 1-1 nice rebound win
23-Arizona State 1-1 only beat Cal Poly by 14, they haven't been impressive this year at all
24-Arizona 2-0 beat Nevada pretty easily
25-Toledo 1-0 upset of the week as they beat Arkansas
Top Games
I was only 4-3 last week, putting me at 12-6 for the season. The scores were fairly accurate though, so I've got that going for me. Quite a few nice match ups this weekend, should be a fun one.
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame: Notre Dame really struggled with Virginia and they lost Malik Zaire for the season. I'm going with Tech to pull this one off. Georgia Tech 34 Notre Dame 24
Nebraska at Miami: I think this will be a great game. I haven't got to see any Miami highlights this year, but this should be a good match up. Miami 31 Nebraska 28
Ole Miss at Alabama: Ole Miss definitely won't score 70 this week, but can they surprise Alabama? Alabama 24 Ole Miss 21
Auburn at LSU: I thought Auburn was going to be a playoff contender, but after last week's game I'm not so sure. LSU 21 Auburn 17
Illinois at North Carolina: Illinois has been a huge surprise this year after firing their coach before the season started. North Carolina better be prepared. This should be a high scoring game. North Carolina 45 Illinois 38
Pittsburgh at Iowa: Iowa might be without two of their top players and Pitt lost their top player for the season. I think Iowa's momentum helps them win this one. Iowa 28 Pittsburgh 17
New Mexico at Arizona State: The Lobos had a disappointing loss against Tulsa at home giving up 600 yards of offense and giving away another 150 in penalties. They'll have to play flawless to even compete with ASU this week. Arizona State 56 New Mexico 28
Northwestern at Duke: I didn't think that this would be that big of a game this year, but both teams are 2-0 right now. Duke 21 Northwestern 17
California at Texas: Cal's offense looks pretty sharp with Jared Goff running the show. Texas better be ready or they're gonna get smoked. Cal 38 Texas 27
BYU at UCLA: This BYU team has had two crazy wins already this year, but I think UCLA is too good at home. UCLA 28 BYU 21
Stanford at USC: Stanford is looking at a 1-2 start for the season. I thought they would have a good shot to win their division this year, they still have a shot, but it's not going to be easy. USC 34 Stanford 21
South Carolina at Georgia: With South Carolina's schedule this year, they might struggle to make a bowl game. Georgia 38 South Carolina 24
Top 25
1-Ohio State 2-0 had no problem with Hawaii
2-Alabama 2-0 easy win against Middle Tennessee
3-Michigan State 2-0 huge win against Oregon
4-USC 2-0 another easy win for the Trojans
5-Baylor 2-0 kind of struggled early with Lamar (who?)
6-TCU 2-0 put up 70 on Stephen F. Austin
7-Georgia 2-0 got a nice early season conference win
8-Florida State 2-0 Cook had a huge game on the ground
9-Ole Miss 2-0 second straight 70 point game
10-LSU 1-0 big road win at Mississippi State, good way to start the season
11-Clemson 2-0 had no trouble with Appalachian State
12-UCLA 2-0 easy victory over UNLV
13-Oklahoma 2-0 huge road win in overtime at Tennessee
14-Georgia Tech 2-0 they're going to be good this year, tough game this week
15-Texas A&M 2-0 they're better than I expected
16-Missouri 2-0 Arkansas State gave them some problems
17-Notre Dame 2-0 barely squeaked out a win against Virginia, it'll get tougher without Zaire at QB
18-Auburn 2-0 got lucky against Jacksonville State
19-BYU 2-0 my favorite team other than Iowa so far this year, another great win
20-Oregon 1-1 tough loss at Michigan State, but they'll bounce back
21-Northwestern 2-0 they've surprised me so far
22-Wisconsin 1-1 nice rebound win
23-Arizona State 1-1 only beat Cal Poly by 14, they haven't been impressive this year at all
24-Arizona 2-0 beat Nevada pretty easily
25-Toledo 1-0 upset of the week as they beat Arkansas
Top Games
I was only 4-3 last week, putting me at 12-6 for the season. The scores were fairly accurate though, so I've got that going for me. Quite a few nice match ups this weekend, should be a fun one.
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame: Notre Dame really struggled with Virginia and they lost Malik Zaire for the season. I'm going with Tech to pull this one off. Georgia Tech 34 Notre Dame 24
Nebraska at Miami: I think this will be a great game. I haven't got to see any Miami highlights this year, but this should be a good match up. Miami 31 Nebraska 28
Ole Miss at Alabama: Ole Miss definitely won't score 70 this week, but can they surprise Alabama? Alabama 24 Ole Miss 21
Auburn at LSU: I thought Auburn was going to be a playoff contender, but after last week's game I'm not so sure. LSU 21 Auburn 17
Illinois at North Carolina: Illinois has been a huge surprise this year after firing their coach before the season started. North Carolina better be prepared. This should be a high scoring game. North Carolina 45 Illinois 38
Pittsburgh at Iowa: Iowa might be without two of their top players and Pitt lost their top player for the season. I think Iowa's momentum helps them win this one. Iowa 28 Pittsburgh 17
New Mexico at Arizona State: The Lobos had a disappointing loss against Tulsa at home giving up 600 yards of offense and giving away another 150 in penalties. They'll have to play flawless to even compete with ASU this week. Arizona State 56 New Mexico 28
Northwestern at Duke: I didn't think that this would be that big of a game this year, but both teams are 2-0 right now. Duke 21 Northwestern 17
California at Texas: Cal's offense looks pretty sharp with Jared Goff running the show. Texas better be ready or they're gonna get smoked. Cal 38 Texas 27
BYU at UCLA: This BYU team has had two crazy wins already this year, but I think UCLA is too good at home. UCLA 28 BYU 21
Stanford at USC: Stanford is looking at a 1-2 start for the season. I thought they would have a good shot to win their division this year, they still have a shot, but it's not going to be easy. USC 34 Stanford 21
South Carolina at Georgia: With South Carolina's schedule this year, they might struggle to make a bowl game. Georgia 38 South Carolina 24
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
College Football Week 1
Week 1 of the college football season is in the books. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see many games since I was out of town, but I did get to see my Hawkeyes put a whoopin on Illinois State, 31-14! They started with an 81 yard touchdown drive, followed by a 99 yard drive for an early 14-0 lead. C.J. Beathard did a nice job running the offense, and LeShun Daniels looked great going over 100 yards on the ground. Drew Ott was an absolute monster on defense, and the secondary did a nice job. Illinois State couldn't get anything going offensively until the 4th quarter when the Hawkeye backups were in. The tackles and linebackers were big question marks coming into this season and I thought they all did a nice job, although the opponent wasn't Big Ten caliber, it still should give them confidence as the season progresses.
I watched Ohio State-Virginia Tech last night and it looked like early on it would be a blowout, but the Hokies got right back in the game. In the second half, the Buckeyes were too much and Virginia Tech lost their starting QB. Ohio State is going to be tough to beat, there is way too much talent on that team.
New Top 25
1-Ohio State 1-0 had a little bit of a scare against Virginia Tech before pulling away
2-Alabama 1-0 shut down Wisconsin's running game in an easy win
3-Baylor 1-0 played against SMU, but their offense is fun to watch
4-USC 1-0 easy win for the Trojans
5-Auburn 1-0 nice win against Louisville
6-TCU 1-0 close win against Minnesota, a tough opponent
7-Michigan State 1-0 knocked off Western Michigan, a team on the rise
8-Oregon 1-0 gave up a lot of points against Eastern Washington
9-Georgia 1-0 they've got some really good running backs, had no problem with UL-Monroe
10-Florida State 1-0 Everett Golson looked good in his debut
11-Notre Dame 1-0 Golson's old team dominated Texas
12-Clemson 1-0 easy win this week
13-Texas A&M 1-0 had no problem with a tough Arizona State team, kind of surprised me
14-UCLA 1-0 new QB looked solid
15-Ole Miss 1-0 put up 76 points in their opener
16-Oklahoma 1-0 easy win, but the running game struggled a bit, they need to fix that quickly
17-Georgia Tech 1-0 one of the funnest offenses to watch, Marshall's going to be a good one
18-LSU 0-0 game got cancelled due to lightning
19-Tennessee 1-0 had no problem scoring points, tough test with Oklahoma this week
20-Missouri 1-0 easy opening win
21-Arkansas 1-0 had no problem with UTEP
22-Boise State 1-0 narrowly defeated Washington
23-Northwestern 1-0 upset Stanford, held them to only six points, Justin Jackson is a stud at RB
24-Wisconsin 0-1 tough loss against Alabama, but should bounce back
25-Arizona State 0-1 got crushed by A&M
Top Games-Week 2
Last week I was 8-3 in my predictions, there aren't many marquee match ups this week, but there are a few good ones.
Oregon at Michigan State: This is one of the biggest games of the year. Oregon's offense had no problem scoring last week, but their defense gave up way too many points. Michigan State's defense will have their hands full. Michigan State 28 Oregon 24
Oklahoma at Tennessee: Both teams coming off easy wins against MAC opponents, can Oklahoma get their running game going? Tennessee 31 Oklahoma 27
Boise State at BYU: BYU came up with a huge win at the last second and stunned Nebraska on the road, but they lost their QB Taysom Hill again. If Hill was playing in this one, I'd pick BYU. Boise State 24 BYU 21
Tulsa at New Mexico: The Lobos are coming off of a huge 66-0 over Mississippi Valley State, where they ran for eight touchdowns, but they also looked decent in their passing game. Tulsa can score a lot of points, too, so this should be a shoot out. New Mexico 48 Tulsa 42
Iowa at Iowa State: Iowa State surprised me last week by beating Northern Iowa 31-7. They have a lot of talented WRs and could cause some problems for Iowa's secondary. Iowa 35 Iowa State 24
San Diego State at California: I really like Cal's QB, Jared Goff. He put up over 300 yards last week. Oh yeah, that was in the first half. He's good. The Aztecs are a solid opponent, but I don't think they can shut down Cal's offense. California 56 San Diego State 31
LSU at Mississippi State: LSU's first game was cancelled, so they're not faced with a road conference game to start the season, it won't be easy. Mississippi State knocked off Southern Miss last week. LSU 28 Mississippi State 21
I watched Ohio State-Virginia Tech last night and it looked like early on it would be a blowout, but the Hokies got right back in the game. In the second half, the Buckeyes were too much and Virginia Tech lost their starting QB. Ohio State is going to be tough to beat, there is way too much talent on that team.
New Top 25
1-Ohio State 1-0 had a little bit of a scare against Virginia Tech before pulling away
2-Alabama 1-0 shut down Wisconsin's running game in an easy win
3-Baylor 1-0 played against SMU, but their offense is fun to watch
4-USC 1-0 easy win for the Trojans
5-Auburn 1-0 nice win against Louisville
6-TCU 1-0 close win against Minnesota, a tough opponent
7-Michigan State 1-0 knocked off Western Michigan, a team on the rise
8-Oregon 1-0 gave up a lot of points against Eastern Washington
9-Georgia 1-0 they've got some really good running backs, had no problem with UL-Monroe
10-Florida State 1-0 Everett Golson looked good in his debut
11-Notre Dame 1-0 Golson's old team dominated Texas
12-Clemson 1-0 easy win this week
13-Texas A&M 1-0 had no problem with a tough Arizona State team, kind of surprised me
14-UCLA 1-0 new QB looked solid
15-Ole Miss 1-0 put up 76 points in their opener
16-Oklahoma 1-0 easy win, but the running game struggled a bit, they need to fix that quickly
17-Georgia Tech 1-0 one of the funnest offenses to watch, Marshall's going to be a good one
18-LSU 0-0 game got cancelled due to lightning
19-Tennessee 1-0 had no problem scoring points, tough test with Oklahoma this week
20-Missouri 1-0 easy opening win
21-Arkansas 1-0 had no problem with UTEP
22-Boise State 1-0 narrowly defeated Washington
23-Northwestern 1-0 upset Stanford, held them to only six points, Justin Jackson is a stud at RB
24-Wisconsin 0-1 tough loss against Alabama, but should bounce back
25-Arizona State 0-1 got crushed by A&M
Top Games-Week 2
Last week I was 8-3 in my predictions, there aren't many marquee match ups this week, but there are a few good ones.
Oregon at Michigan State: This is one of the biggest games of the year. Oregon's offense had no problem scoring last week, but their defense gave up way too many points. Michigan State's defense will have their hands full. Michigan State 28 Oregon 24
Oklahoma at Tennessee: Both teams coming off easy wins against MAC opponents, can Oklahoma get their running game going? Tennessee 31 Oklahoma 27
Boise State at BYU: BYU came up with a huge win at the last second and stunned Nebraska on the road, but they lost their QB Taysom Hill again. If Hill was playing in this one, I'd pick BYU. Boise State 24 BYU 21
Tulsa at New Mexico: The Lobos are coming off of a huge 66-0 over Mississippi Valley State, where they ran for eight touchdowns, but they also looked decent in their passing game. Tulsa can score a lot of points, too, so this should be a shoot out. New Mexico 48 Tulsa 42
Iowa at Iowa State: Iowa State surprised me last week by beating Northern Iowa 31-7. They have a lot of talented WRs and could cause some problems for Iowa's secondary. Iowa 35 Iowa State 24
San Diego State at California: I really like Cal's QB, Jared Goff. He put up over 300 yards last week. Oh yeah, that was in the first half. He's good. The Aztecs are a solid opponent, but I don't think they can shut down Cal's offense. California 56 San Diego State 31
LSU at Mississippi State: LSU's first game was cancelled, so they're not faced with a road conference game to start the season, it won't be easy. Mississippi State knocked off Southern Miss last week. LSU 28 Mississippi State 21
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
2015 College Football
It's my favorite time of year, college football season! I'm super excited. Not sure how my Iowa Hawkeyes are going to look this year. They have some question marks this year, mostly on the offensive line at the tackle spots. They are replacing two NFL draft picks from last year with a pair of sophomores, Boone Myers, a former walk-on, and Ike Boettger, who played QB and TE in high school. They also replace two defensive tackles, but the guys who are filling in look much better than Myers and Boettger. C.J. Beathard takes over at the QB spot after Jake Rudock moved on to Michigan. I'm excited to see what Beathard can do, he's got a cannon for an arm and he can make plays with his feet. I think if he can stay healthy than Iowa has a shot to make it a special year, if not, it could be a long one which could lead to the dismissal of Kirk Ferentz. I really like the secondary and the running backs. The linebackers got worked last year, but they should be much better this year. And they don't have to face David Johnson, Ameer Adbullah, David Cobb, Melvin Gordon and Tevin Coleman this year. All of those guys are wearing NFL jerseys right now, well, maybe not right now, it's 8 p.m. on a Wednesday night, but you know what I mean. They're great running backs.
Living in Albuquerque, I have become a fan of the New Mexico Lobos as well, and this year could be a good one. Bob Davie has really put together a solid roster and they could make a bowl game this year. They've been amongst the best teams in the nation running the football since he's been at the helm, and this year they should add a much better passing game to add some balance. Jhurell Pressley could be one of the best running backs in the country, he averaged nearly 10 yards per carry last year. If the defense improves, it could be a really solid year. They tend to give up a lot of big plays though, should be a lot of high scoring games.
Here's my top preseason top 25
Top 25
1-Ohio State
2-TCU
3-Baylor
4-Alabama
5-Auburn
6-Michigan State
7-Oregon
8-USC
9-Georgia
10-Florida State
11-Clemson
12-UCLA
13-Ole Miss
14-Arizona State
15-Notre Dame
16-Stanford
17-Arizona
18-LSU
19-Georgia Tech
20-Boise State
21-Oklahoma
22-Wisconsin
23-Missouri
24-Tennessee
25-Arkansas
Week 1 Games
Week 1 is always hard to predict, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
Auburn vs Louisville: I think Louisville will hang with Auburn for a little while, but the Tigers will pull away late. Auburn 38 Louisville 24
South Carolina vs North Carolina: North Carolina could have a pretty solid team this year, their offense could be really good. North Carolina 31 South Carolina 27
Ohio State at Virginia Tech: Can Virginia Tech beat Ohio State in back-to-back years? I don't see it happening, even though they're at home. Ohio State 45 Virginia Tech 31
Michigan at Utah: The Jim Harbaugh era starts with a tough road trip to Utah, can he bring Michigan back from a horrendous year? Utah 28 Michigan 24
TCU at Minnesota: Minnesota should have a solid defense, but the offense drops off a bit without Cobb and Maxx Williams. TCU is solid all around. TCU 38 Minnesota 24
Alabama vs Wisconsin: Losing Melvin Gordon is going to hurt Wisconsin a lot. Corey Clement is a good running back, but he's not Gordon. Alabama 24 Wisconsin 17
Washington at Boise State: This should be interesting, Chris Petersen coached at Boise State for 13 years before moving on to Washington. Washington 34 Boise State 27
Arizona State vs Texas A&M: This should be a very good game, quite possibly one of the best games of the week. Arizona State 31 Texas A&M 30
Texas at Notre Dame: Notre Dame has an easier schedule than they normally do, but they'll be tested right off the bat with Texas. How good will Texas be this year? Notre Dame 28 Texas 17
Illinois State at Iowa: Looking at this game on the schedule a couple of years ago, I'm sure everyone would pencil in this one as an easy win, but that's not the case. Illinois State lost to North Dakota State in last year's FCS Championship game and they return QB Tre Roberson (3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing, 40 TDs) and their RB, who's name escapes me right now, ran for another 2,000 plus with nearly 30 TDs. That's a lot of production. Can Iowa's defense shut them down? They better be able to because the offense will probably take a couple of weeks to get going. I still think Iowa has too much talent to not win this one. Iowa 27 Illinois State 17
Mississippi Valley State at New Mexico: I know nothing about Mississippi Valley State, which means this should probably be an easy game for the Lobos. This will be a good game to test out their QBs arms. I know they've added some talented WRs and the passing game could be decent this year. I think the offense is going to roll in this one, and the defense has LB Dakota Cox back, he's a tackling machine. New Mexico 55 Mississippi Valley State 10
Possible Heisman Candidates
Connor Cook QB Michigan State
JT Barrett QB Ohio State
Cardale Jones QB Ohio State
Christian Hackenberg QB Penn State
Trevone Boykin QB TCU
Jared Goff QB California
Cody Kessler QB USC
Jeremy Johnson QB Auburn
Dak Prescott QB Mississippi State
James Conner RB Pittsburgh
Ezekiel Elliott RB Ohio State
Samaje Perine RB Oklahoma
Corey Clement RB Wisconsin
Nick Chubb RB Georgia
Derrick Henry RB Alabama
Leonard Fournette RB LSU
Laquon Treadwell WR Ole Miss
Tyler Boyd WR Pittsburgh
Conference Outlooks
AAC:I think Cincinnati should be the team to beat here, but watch out for East Carolina, Memphis, Houston and Navy. Temple and UCF could be in the hunt as well. I don't see any of these teams cracking the top 25, but Cincinnati might have a shot if they can knock off Miami.
ACC:Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech are the three teams to watch in the playoff hunt. I don't think the ACC will have a playoff team, but all three of those teams should be top 25 teams throughout the season. I could see NC State maybe cracking the top 25 with their schedule early on. Virginia Tech should be solid, but they should start the year with a loss to Ohio State. North Carolina could surprise some people, and Duke and Miami will be good.
Big 10:The Big 10 championship will be determined when Michigan State plays at Ohio State, which I think the Buckeyes will win. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska and Penn State could all sniff the top 25 throughout the season. If Iowa's offense can click they could also contend for the west title. Michigan will be much better, too, but they won't be near the top of the standings just yet.
Big 12:The two to watch are Baylor and TCU, they're game could determine the winner of the conference and a playoff spot. Oklahoma could sneak in the race as well if they can knock off one of those two teams. No one else really stands out in the conference, Texas, Kansas State, West Virginia and Oklahoma State will all be pretty good, but won't contend for a conference title.
MWC:It should be an interesting race for the conference title this year. I think a lot of people expect Boise State to win it, but I think Utah State and San Diego State will definitely have something to say about it. If Utah State's QB Chuckie Keeton can stay healthy, they should have a really good year, he's a great QB.
Pac 12:The Pac 12 is going to be a great conference again this year and it's really hard to predict what's going to happen. I honestly think Stanford will have a shot to win their division, and USC is my favorite to play them in the conference title game. Oregon will be solid and should be in the top 15 all year. Arizona State, Arizona and UCLA will all be solid, too. Utah could surprise some people. California will be much better, but they really have a tough schedule.
SEC:The SEC always has some great teams, and this year will be no different. Look for Tennessee and Arkansas to sneak up on people this year, too. I've got Auburn playing Tennessee in the conference title game. I usually pick Georgia, but they always screw me over.
Living in Albuquerque, I have become a fan of the New Mexico Lobos as well, and this year could be a good one. Bob Davie has really put together a solid roster and they could make a bowl game this year. They've been amongst the best teams in the nation running the football since he's been at the helm, and this year they should add a much better passing game to add some balance. Jhurell Pressley could be one of the best running backs in the country, he averaged nearly 10 yards per carry last year. If the defense improves, it could be a really solid year. They tend to give up a lot of big plays though, should be a lot of high scoring games.
Here's my top preseason top 25
Top 25
1-Ohio State
2-TCU
3-Baylor
4-Alabama
5-Auburn
6-Michigan State
7-Oregon
8-USC
9-Georgia
10-Florida State
11-Clemson
12-UCLA
13-Ole Miss
14-Arizona State
15-Notre Dame
16-Stanford
17-Arizona
18-LSU
19-Georgia Tech
20-Boise State
21-Oklahoma
22-Wisconsin
23-Missouri
24-Tennessee
25-Arkansas
Week 1 Games
Week 1 is always hard to predict, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
Auburn vs Louisville: I think Louisville will hang with Auburn for a little while, but the Tigers will pull away late. Auburn 38 Louisville 24
South Carolina vs North Carolina: North Carolina could have a pretty solid team this year, their offense could be really good. North Carolina 31 South Carolina 27
Ohio State at Virginia Tech: Can Virginia Tech beat Ohio State in back-to-back years? I don't see it happening, even though they're at home. Ohio State 45 Virginia Tech 31
Michigan at Utah: The Jim Harbaugh era starts with a tough road trip to Utah, can he bring Michigan back from a horrendous year? Utah 28 Michigan 24
TCU at Minnesota: Minnesota should have a solid defense, but the offense drops off a bit without Cobb and Maxx Williams. TCU is solid all around. TCU 38 Minnesota 24
Alabama vs Wisconsin: Losing Melvin Gordon is going to hurt Wisconsin a lot. Corey Clement is a good running back, but he's not Gordon. Alabama 24 Wisconsin 17
Washington at Boise State: This should be interesting, Chris Petersen coached at Boise State for 13 years before moving on to Washington. Washington 34 Boise State 27
Arizona State vs Texas A&M: This should be a very good game, quite possibly one of the best games of the week. Arizona State 31 Texas A&M 30
Texas at Notre Dame: Notre Dame has an easier schedule than they normally do, but they'll be tested right off the bat with Texas. How good will Texas be this year? Notre Dame 28 Texas 17
Illinois State at Iowa: Looking at this game on the schedule a couple of years ago, I'm sure everyone would pencil in this one as an easy win, but that's not the case. Illinois State lost to North Dakota State in last year's FCS Championship game and they return QB Tre Roberson (3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing, 40 TDs) and their RB, who's name escapes me right now, ran for another 2,000 plus with nearly 30 TDs. That's a lot of production. Can Iowa's defense shut them down? They better be able to because the offense will probably take a couple of weeks to get going. I still think Iowa has too much talent to not win this one. Iowa 27 Illinois State 17
Mississippi Valley State at New Mexico: I know nothing about Mississippi Valley State, which means this should probably be an easy game for the Lobos. This will be a good game to test out their QBs arms. I know they've added some talented WRs and the passing game could be decent this year. I think the offense is going to roll in this one, and the defense has LB Dakota Cox back, he's a tackling machine. New Mexico 55 Mississippi Valley State 10
Possible Heisman Candidates
Connor Cook QB Michigan State
JT Barrett QB Ohio State
Cardale Jones QB Ohio State
Christian Hackenberg QB Penn State
Trevone Boykin QB TCU
Jared Goff QB California
Cody Kessler QB USC
Jeremy Johnson QB Auburn
Dak Prescott QB Mississippi State
James Conner RB Pittsburgh
Ezekiel Elliott RB Ohio State
Samaje Perine RB Oklahoma
Corey Clement RB Wisconsin
Nick Chubb RB Georgia
Derrick Henry RB Alabama
Leonard Fournette RB LSU
Laquon Treadwell WR Ole Miss
Tyler Boyd WR Pittsburgh
Conference Outlooks
AAC:I think Cincinnati should be the team to beat here, but watch out for East Carolina, Memphis, Houston and Navy. Temple and UCF could be in the hunt as well. I don't see any of these teams cracking the top 25, but Cincinnati might have a shot if they can knock off Miami.
ACC:Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech are the three teams to watch in the playoff hunt. I don't think the ACC will have a playoff team, but all three of those teams should be top 25 teams throughout the season. I could see NC State maybe cracking the top 25 with their schedule early on. Virginia Tech should be solid, but they should start the year with a loss to Ohio State. North Carolina could surprise some people, and Duke and Miami will be good.
Big 10:The Big 10 championship will be determined when Michigan State plays at Ohio State, which I think the Buckeyes will win. Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska and Penn State could all sniff the top 25 throughout the season. If Iowa's offense can click they could also contend for the west title. Michigan will be much better, too, but they won't be near the top of the standings just yet.
Big 12:The two to watch are Baylor and TCU, they're game could determine the winner of the conference and a playoff spot. Oklahoma could sneak in the race as well if they can knock off one of those two teams. No one else really stands out in the conference, Texas, Kansas State, West Virginia and Oklahoma State will all be pretty good, but won't contend for a conference title.
MWC:It should be an interesting race for the conference title this year. I think a lot of people expect Boise State to win it, but I think Utah State and San Diego State will definitely have something to say about it. If Utah State's QB Chuckie Keeton can stay healthy, they should have a really good year, he's a great QB.
Pac 12:The Pac 12 is going to be a great conference again this year and it's really hard to predict what's going to happen. I honestly think Stanford will have a shot to win their division, and USC is my favorite to play them in the conference title game. Oregon will be solid and should be in the top 15 all year. Arizona State, Arizona and UCLA will all be solid, too. Utah could surprise some people. California will be much better, but they really have a tough schedule.
SEC:The SEC always has some great teams, and this year will be no different. Look for Tennessee and Arkansas to sneak up on people this year, too. I've got Auburn playing Tennessee in the conference title game. I usually pick Georgia, but they always screw me over.
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