Tuesday, October 2
Marshall at Memphis
Wednesday, October 3
Rice at Southern Miss
Thursday, October 4
Kentucky at South Carolina
Friday, October 5
Utah at Louisville
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Week 5 Predictions
Thursday, September 27
Memphis at Arkansas St
Southern Miss at Boise St
Friday, September 28
West Virginia at South Florida
Saturday, September 29
Akron at Connecticut
Michigan at Northwestern
North Carolina at Virginia Tech
Temple at Army
Penn St at Illinois
Buffalo at Ball St
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan
Duke at Miami
Notre Dame at Purdue
LSU at Tulane
Indiana at Iowa
Mississippi St at South Carolina
Baylor at Texas A&M
Mississippi at Georgia
FAU at Kentucky
Massachusetts at Boston College
Air Force at Navy
Oklahoma at Colorado
Iowa St at Nebraska
Syracuse at Miami Ohio
Kent St at Ohio
Utah St at Utah
Maryland at Rutgers
Michigan St at Wisconsin
Clemson at Georgia Tech
Louisville at NC State
Kansas St at Texas
California at Oregon
UC Davis at San Jose St
UNLV at Nevada
UTEP at SMU
Alabama at Florida St
Hawaii at Idaho
Western Kentucky at Bowling Green
Louisiana Lafayette at UCF
UCLA at Oregon St
North Texas at Arkansas
UAB at Tulsa
Eastern Michigan at Vanderbilt
East Carolina at Houston
Pittsburgh at Virginia
FIU at MTSU
Colorado St at TCU
Northwestern St at Texas Tech
Western Michigan at Toledo
Louisiana Monroe at Troy
Sam Houston St at Oklahoma St
Auburn at Florida
Ohio St at Minnesota
UAPB at New Mexico St
USC at Washington
BYU at New Mexico
Washington St at Arizona
Cincinnati at San Diego St
Arizona St at Stanford
Louisiana Tech at Fresno St
Memphis at Arkansas St
Southern Miss at Boise St
Friday, September 28
West Virginia at South Florida
Saturday, September 29
Akron at Connecticut
Michigan at Northwestern
North Carolina at Virginia Tech
Temple at Army
Penn St at Illinois
Buffalo at Ball St
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan
Duke at Miami
Notre Dame at Purdue
LSU at Tulane
Indiana at Iowa
Mississippi St at South Carolina
Baylor at Texas A&M
Mississippi at Georgia
FAU at Kentucky
Massachusetts at Boston College
Air Force at Navy
Oklahoma at Colorado
Iowa St at Nebraska
Syracuse at Miami Ohio
Kent St at Ohio
Utah St at Utah
Maryland at Rutgers
Michigan St at Wisconsin
Clemson at Georgia Tech
Louisville at NC State
Kansas St at Texas
California at Oregon
UC Davis at San Jose St
UNLV at Nevada
UTEP at SMU
Alabama at Florida St
Hawaii at Idaho
Western Kentucky at Bowling Green
Louisiana Lafayette at UCF
UCLA at Oregon St
North Texas at Arkansas
UAB at Tulsa
Eastern Michigan at Vanderbilt
East Carolina at Houston
Pittsburgh at Virginia
FIU at MTSU
Colorado St at TCU
Northwestern St at Texas Tech
Western Michigan at Toledo
Louisiana Monroe at Troy
Sam Houston St at Oklahoma St
Auburn at Florida
Ohio St at Minnesota
UAPB at New Mexico St
USC at Washington
BYU at New Mexico
Washington St at Arizona
Cincinnati at San Diego St
Arizona St at Stanford
Louisiana Tech at Fresno St
Week 5 Preview
Notes on the upcoming games:
* California at Oregon -- Now this should be a fun game to watch. Two undefeated Pac-10 teams with elite offenses going head to head. The winner will have an inside track to at least second place in the conference. I think Oregon has the slightly better team and the game is at Autzen Stadium, so they are my pick.
* West Virginia at South Florida -- Two ranked teams battle it out on Friday night in front of South Florida's first sellout crowd. Look for the fast South Florida defense to try to contain the athletic West Virginia playmakers like they did last year. Besides the mediocre offensive output, turnovers killed the Mountaineers in this matchup last year. If they can hold onto the ball, I say they win a close one.
* Southern Miss at Boise St -- Two of the best non-BCS teams square off in a great non-conference game. Southern Miss is a consistently good team, as they haven't had a losing season since 1993. The most recent losing season for Boise St was in 1997 under head coach Houston Nutt. I bet you didn't know he coached there for a year before going to Arkansas.
* Michigan St at Wisconsin -- A battle of Big Ten unbeatens in one of the more underrated games this weekend. Everyone seems to be ignoring Michigan St and bashing Wisconsin. Unfortunately that means that no matter who wins, they won't get enough credit for a really good victory.
* Auburn at Florida -- Look for Florida to bounce back in a big way against an Auburn team that can't handle good fast defenses (South Florida, Mississippi St).
* Clemson at Georgia Tech -- Is Georgia Tech going to fall to 0-3 in conference? I expected them to be one of the favorites in the ACC by this point in the season.
* Alabama vs. Florida St in Jacksonville -- Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher were brought in during the offseason to help underachieving teams. This game will be the test to see who is doing it quicker.
* Penn St at Illinois -- The remaining conference slate works out well for Penn St, with home games against Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio St and Purdue. They just can't afford to look past a road date with a dangerous Illinois team.
* Northern Illinois at Central Michigan -- What should have been a matchup of two MAC West contenders is looking more like a pillow fight each week.
* Western Michigan at Toledo -- I have been high on Western Michigan since the preseason. Hopefully this is the week they start proving me right (ignoring last week's win over Central Connecticut.)
* Kansas St at Texas -- Does anybody else think the Longhorns are going to want revenge on last year's loss? Plus Texas will need a big game going into the Red River Shootout next week against a seemingly unstoppable Oklahoma squad.
* Maryland at Rutgers -- Everyone is saying that this is Rutgers chance to prove themselves, but next week against Cincinnati will be the game that truly shows us how good they are.
* California at Oregon -- Now this should be a fun game to watch. Two undefeated Pac-10 teams with elite offenses going head to head. The winner will have an inside track to at least second place in the conference. I think Oregon has the slightly better team and the game is at Autzen Stadium, so they are my pick.
* West Virginia at South Florida -- Two ranked teams battle it out on Friday night in front of South Florida's first sellout crowd. Look for the fast South Florida defense to try to contain the athletic West Virginia playmakers like they did last year. Besides the mediocre offensive output, turnovers killed the Mountaineers in this matchup last year. If they can hold onto the ball, I say they win a close one.
* Southern Miss at Boise St -- Two of the best non-BCS teams square off in a great non-conference game. Southern Miss is a consistently good team, as they haven't had a losing season since 1993. The most recent losing season for Boise St was in 1997 under head coach Houston Nutt. I bet you didn't know he coached there for a year before going to Arkansas.
* Michigan St at Wisconsin -- A battle of Big Ten unbeatens in one of the more underrated games this weekend. Everyone seems to be ignoring Michigan St and bashing Wisconsin. Unfortunately that means that no matter who wins, they won't get enough credit for a really good victory.
* Auburn at Florida -- Look for Florida to bounce back in a big way against an Auburn team that can't handle good fast defenses (South Florida, Mississippi St).
* Clemson at Georgia Tech -- Is Georgia Tech going to fall to 0-3 in conference? I expected them to be one of the favorites in the ACC by this point in the season.
* Alabama vs. Florida St in Jacksonville -- Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher were brought in during the offseason to help underachieving teams. This game will be the test to see who is doing it quicker.
* Penn St at Illinois -- The remaining conference slate works out well for Penn St, with home games against Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio St and Purdue. They just can't afford to look past a road date with a dangerous Illinois team.
* Northern Illinois at Central Michigan -- What should have been a matchup of two MAC West contenders is looking more like a pillow fight each week.
* Western Michigan at Toledo -- I have been high on Western Michigan since the preseason. Hopefully this is the week they start proving me right (ignoring last week's win over Central Connecticut.)
* Kansas St at Texas -- Does anybody else think the Longhorns are going to want revenge on last year's loss? Plus Texas will need a big game going into the Red River Shootout next week against a seemingly unstoppable Oklahoma squad.
* Maryland at Rutgers -- Everyone is saying that this is Rutgers chance to prove themselves, but next week against Cincinnati will be the game that truly shows us how good they are.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Week 4 Wrapup
My Picks:
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Week 3 46-19 (70.77%)
Week 4 45-15 (75.00%)
Season 201-55 (78.52%)
--------------------------
* 23 teams are still undefeated, 11 teams haven't won a game, and 13 teams only have wins against FCS teams.
* Western Kentucky beat MTSU and North Dakota St beat Central Michigan, bringing the total of FCS wins over FBS to eight on the year.
* Speaking of Central Michigan, they have really struggled. It appears the loss of head coach Brian Kelly (who is now at Cincinnati) has hurt this team.
* I'm still trying to figure out how Louisville lost to Syracuse and how Georgia Tech lost to Virginia.
* Florida only beat Mississippi by six points, but I expect them to bounce back against Auburn in a game that looked a far more interesting in the preseason.
* The fake field goal by LSU against South Carolina is my favorite play of the year so far.
* Colorado St looks like the best winless team, and Connecticut looks like the worst lossless team.
* I have picked Iowa St incorrectly in all four games. If I pick Nebraska this week, and Iowa St wins, I won't know what to think anymore.
* Utah is the most enigmatic team this year. They should be able to beat Utah St handily, but they should have been able to score on UNLV too. I can't figure this team out.
* Wisconsin played another team close, even though this time it was against a good Iowa defense. They get Michigan St this week in a battle of unbeatens.
* Stanford appears to be improving under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. They put up 402 yards and 31 points against Oregon, including 28 straight points in the second quarter.
* Speaking of the Pac-10, this conference looks very solid from top to bottom. USC is still the favorite, but there are several other good teams and nobody looks like a pushover.
* Other conference favorites look like Ohio St in the Big Ten, West Virginia in the Big East, LSU in the SEC, Oklahoma in the Big 12, Boston College in the ACC, BYU in the MWC, Troy in the Sun Belt, and Hawaii in the WAC. There is no one that can be called a favorite in C-USA or the MAC.
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Week 3 46-19 (70.77%)
Week 4 45-15 (75.00%)
Season 201-55 (78.52%)
--------------------------
* 23 teams are still undefeated, 11 teams haven't won a game, and 13 teams only have wins against FCS teams.
* Western Kentucky beat MTSU and North Dakota St beat Central Michigan, bringing the total of FCS wins over FBS to eight on the year.
* Speaking of Central Michigan, they have really struggled. It appears the loss of head coach Brian Kelly (who is now at Cincinnati) has hurt this team.
* I'm still trying to figure out how Louisville lost to Syracuse and how Georgia Tech lost to Virginia.
* Florida only beat Mississippi by six points, but I expect them to bounce back against Auburn in a game that looked a far more interesting in the preseason.
* The fake field goal by LSU against South Carolina is my favorite play of the year so far.
* Colorado St looks like the best winless team, and Connecticut looks like the worst lossless team.
* I have picked Iowa St incorrectly in all four games. If I pick Nebraska this week, and Iowa St wins, I won't know what to think anymore.
* Utah is the most enigmatic team this year. They should be able to beat Utah St handily, but they should have been able to score on UNLV too. I can't figure this team out.
* Wisconsin played another team close, even though this time it was against a good Iowa defense. They get Michigan St this week in a battle of unbeatens.
* Stanford appears to be improving under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. They put up 402 yards and 31 points against Oregon, including 28 straight points in the second quarter.
* Speaking of the Pac-10, this conference looks very solid from top to bottom. USC is still the favorite, but there are several other good teams and nobody looks like a pushover.
* Other conference favorites look like Ohio St in the Big Ten, West Virginia in the Big East, LSU in the SEC, Oklahoma in the Big 12, Boston College in the ACC, BYU in the MWC, Troy in the Sun Belt, and Hawaii in the WAC. There is no one that can be called a favorite in C-USA or the MAC.
Week 4 Top 25
There are now 23 undefeated teams, and all have made it into my Top 25. The four teams that were previously unranked are Arizona St, Michigan St, Kansas and Connecticut. Falling out of the Top 25 are Penn St, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Purdue moves up the most, six spots, as they are putting up 48.5 points per game. Connecticut also put up an impressive road win at Pittsburgh, so maybe I have been underrating them. The biggest drop was by South Carolina, who fell eight spots after losing at LSU. Georgia Tech was also a disappointment, losing to Virginia and dropping to 0-2 in conference play. The previous week's rank is in parentheses.
Upcoming matchups between ranked teams:
#6 West Virginia at #17 South Florida
#9 California at #8 Oregon
#22 Michigan St at #11 Wisconsin
1 - USC (1)
2 - LSU (2)
3 - Oklahoma (3)
4 - Florida (4)
5 - Boston College (5)
6 - West Virginia (6)
7 - Ohio St (9)
8 - Oregon (8)
9 - California (7)
10 - Clemson (13)
11 - Wisconsin (10)
12 - Texas (17)
13 - Missouri (14)
14 - Rutgers (15)
15 - Kentucky (18)
16 - Cincinnati (19)
17 - South Florida (16)
18 - Purdue (24)
19 - South Carolina (11)
20 - Hawaii (22)
21 - Arizona St (UR)
22 - Michigan St (UR)
23 - Kansas (UR)
24 - Connecticut (UR)
25 - Alabama (23)
Upcoming matchups between ranked teams:
#6 West Virginia at #17 South Florida
#9 California at #8 Oregon
#22 Michigan St at #11 Wisconsin
1 - USC (1)
2 - LSU (2)
3 - Oklahoma (3)
4 - Florida (4)
5 - Boston College (5)
6 - West Virginia (6)
7 - Ohio St (9)
8 - Oregon (8)
9 - California (7)
10 - Clemson (13)
11 - Wisconsin (10)
12 - Texas (17)
13 - Missouri (14)
14 - Rutgers (15)
15 - Kentucky (18)
16 - Cincinnati (19)
17 - South Florida (16)
18 - Purdue (24)
19 - South Carolina (11)
20 - Hawaii (22)
21 - Arizona St (UR)
22 - Michigan St (UR)
23 - Kansas (UR)
24 - Connecticut (UR)
25 - Alabama (23)
Friday, September 21, 2007
Week 4 Preview
UCLA QB Ben Olson is out (headaches) for the Washington game. Backup Patrick Cowan will get the start, who started eight games last season. I'm swapping my pick to Washington. I had these two teams rated closely, so it's not surprising that one player being out is enough to change my pick.
------------------------
Games I'm looking forward to:
* South Carolina at LSU -- This matchup is the only one between my ranked teams this weekend. Unfortunately, I still expect a blowout victory by LSU.
* Air Force at BYU -- If Air Force can win this game, they will be 3-0 in conference with those three wins coming over teams predicted to contend for the conference title.
* Iowa at Wisconsin -- Wisconsin has been playing teams too close so far. At some point it's going to come back and haunt them. Probably not this week, but the potential is always there.
* Michigan St at Notre Dame -- I really want to call the upset here. No matter how bad the Irish have been, this just looks like a game they win. For the sake of my predictions, I hope the Spartans win.
* Georgia at Alabama -- Can anybody tell me why Georgia is still ranked in the USA Today and AP Polls? They beat Oklahoma St, who has since lost to Troy, they lost at home to South Carolina, although it was close, and they beat Western Carolina. I don't know why everyone is overrating them.
* Maryland at Wake Forest -- Honestly I look forward to any games between two teams in the ACC Atlantic. Every one helps determine the pecking order of most even division from top to bottom.
* Kentucky at Arkansas -- Kentucky needs a win in their SEC opener to stay ranked. Arkansas needs a win to get over the last-second loss to Alabama.
* Penn St at Michigan -- I can't believe Penn St has lost eight consecutive games to Michigan. I think the Wolverines keep it close, but the Lions come away with the win.
* Illinois at Indiana -- Let's see if Indiana is as good as their 3-0 record. I say no.
* San Jose St at Utah St -- This should be the only time all year that I pick Utah St to win a game.
------------------------
Games I'm looking forward to:
* South Carolina at LSU -- This matchup is the only one between my ranked teams this weekend. Unfortunately, I still expect a blowout victory by LSU.
* Air Force at BYU -- If Air Force can win this game, they will be 3-0 in conference with those three wins coming over teams predicted to contend for the conference title.
* Iowa at Wisconsin -- Wisconsin has been playing teams too close so far. At some point it's going to come back and haunt them. Probably not this week, but the potential is always there.
* Michigan St at Notre Dame -- I really want to call the upset here. No matter how bad the Irish have been, this just looks like a game they win. For the sake of my predictions, I hope the Spartans win.
* Georgia at Alabama -- Can anybody tell me why Georgia is still ranked in the USA Today and AP Polls? They beat Oklahoma St, who has since lost to Troy, they lost at home to South Carolina, although it was close, and they beat Western Carolina. I don't know why everyone is overrating them.
* Maryland at Wake Forest -- Honestly I look forward to any games between two teams in the ACC Atlantic. Every one helps determine the pecking order of most even division from top to bottom.
* Kentucky at Arkansas -- Kentucky needs a win in their SEC opener to stay ranked. Arkansas needs a win to get over the last-second loss to Alabama.
* Penn St at Michigan -- I can't believe Penn St has lost eight consecutive games to Michigan. I think the Wolverines keep it close, but the Lions come away with the win.
* Illinois at Indiana -- Let's see if Indiana is as good as their 3-0 record. I say no.
* San Jose St at Utah St -- This should be the only time all year that I pick Utah St to win a game.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Week 4 Saturday Predictions
Saturday, September 22
North Carolina at South Florida
Illinois at Indiana
Syracuse at Louisville
Clemson at NC State
Temple at Bowling Green
Georgia Tech at Virginia
East Carolina at West Virginia
Kent St at Akron
Florida at Mississippi
Ball St at Nebraska
Army at Boston College
Duke at Navy
William & Mary at Virginia Tech
Illinois St at Missouri
Wyoming at Ohio
Air Force at BYU
Howard at Eastern Michigan
Miami Ohio at Colorado
Michigan St at Notre Dame
South Carolina at LSU
Penn St at Michigan
Maryland at Wake Forest
Northwestern at Ohio St
Texas Tech at Oklahoma St
Memphis at UCF
North Dakota St at Central Michigan
Colorado St at Houston
Northern Illinois at Idaho
Kentucky at Arkansas
Arizona at California
Baylor at Buffalo
Portland St at San Diego St
New Mexico St at Auburn
Connecticut at Pittsburgh
FAU at North Texas
Rice at Texas
Troy at Louisiana Lafayette
Gardner Webb at Mississippi St
FIU at Kansas
Arkansas St at Tennessee
Iowa St at Toledo
SE Louisiana at Tulane
Central Connecticut St at Western Michigan
Marshall at Cincinnati
Georgia at Alabama
Washington St at USC
Sacramento St at New Mexico
Iowa at Wisconsin
San Jose St at Utah St
SMU at TCU
Purdue at Minnesota
Texas Southern at UTEP
Oregon St at Arizona St
Oregon at Stanford
Utah at UNLV
Washington at UCLA
Charleston Southern at Hawaii
North Carolina at South Florida
Illinois at Indiana
Syracuse at Louisville
Clemson at NC State
Temple at Bowling Green
Georgia Tech at Virginia
East Carolina at West Virginia
Kent St at Akron
Florida at Mississippi
Ball St at Nebraska
Army at Boston College
Duke at Navy
William & Mary at Virginia Tech
Illinois St at Missouri
Wyoming at Ohio
Air Force at BYU
Howard at Eastern Michigan
Miami Ohio at Colorado
Michigan St at Notre Dame
South Carolina at LSU
Penn St at Michigan
Maryland at Wake Forest
Northwestern at Ohio St
Texas Tech at Oklahoma St
Memphis at UCF
North Dakota St at Central Michigan
Colorado St at Houston
Northern Illinois at Idaho
Kentucky at Arkansas
Arizona at California
Baylor at Buffalo
Portland St at San Diego St
New Mexico St at Auburn
Connecticut at Pittsburgh
FAU at North Texas
Rice at Texas
Troy at Louisiana Lafayette
Gardner Webb at Mississippi St
FIU at Kansas
Arkansas St at Tennessee
Iowa St at Toledo
SE Louisiana at Tulane
Central Connecticut St at Western Michigan
Marshall at Cincinnati
Georgia at Alabama
Washington St at USC
Sacramento St at New Mexico
Iowa at Wisconsin
San Jose St at Utah St
SMU at TCU
Purdue at Minnesota
Texas Southern at UTEP
Oregon St at Arizona St
Oregon at Stanford
Utah at UNLV
Washington at UCLA
Charleston Southern at Hawaii
Week 4 Thursday / Friday Predictions
Thursday, September 20
Western Kentucky at MTSU
Texas A&M at Miami
Friday, September 21
Oklahoma at Tulsa
Western Kentucky at MTSU
Texas A&M at Miami
Friday, September 21
Oklahoma at Tulsa
Monday, September 17, 2007
Week 3 Top 25
A lot of shakeup in the Top 25, with five teams falling out and five others jumping into the vacant spots. USC regained the #1 spot, although LSU continues to impress and is right on the Trojans' heels. Ohio St had the largest jump this week, up 12 spots after a dominant road win against Washington. Georgia Tech records the largest fall, down 16 spots after a home loss to Boston College. Nebraska, Louisville, UCLA, Arkansas and Washington drop from the rankings. Replacing them are Kentucky, Texas A&M, Alabama, Purdue and Texas Tech. The previous week's rank is in parenthesis.
The only game between ranked opponents this week is #11 South Carolina at #2 LSU.
1 - USC (2)
2 - LSU (1)
3 - Oklahoma (3)
4 - Florida (8)
5 - Boston College (10)
6 - West Virginia (6)
7 - California (5)
8 - Oregon (7)
9 - Ohio St (21)
10 - Wisconsin (9)
11 - South Carolina (15)
12 - Penn St (17)
13 - Clemson (12)
14 - Missouri (13)
15 - Rutgers (16)
16 - South Florida (20)
17 - Texas (19)
18 - Kentucky (UR)
19 - Cincinnati (23)
20 - Georgia Tech (4)
21 - Texas A&M (UR)
22 - Hawaii (25)
23 - Alabama (UR)
24 - Purdue (UR)
25 - Texas Tech (UR)
The only game between ranked opponents this week is #11 South Carolina at #2 LSU.
1 - USC (2)
2 - LSU (1)
3 - Oklahoma (3)
4 - Florida (8)
5 - Boston College (10)
6 - West Virginia (6)
7 - California (5)
8 - Oregon (7)
9 - Ohio St (21)
10 - Wisconsin (9)
11 - South Carolina (15)
12 - Penn St (17)
13 - Clemson (12)
14 - Missouri (13)
15 - Rutgers (16)
16 - South Florida (20)
17 - Texas (19)
18 - Kentucky (UR)
19 - Cincinnati (23)
20 - Georgia Tech (4)
21 - Texas A&M (UR)
22 - Hawaii (25)
23 - Alabama (UR)
24 - Purdue (UR)
25 - Texas Tech (UR)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Week 3 Wrapup
My Picks:
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Week 3 46-19 (70.77%)
Season 156-40 (79.59%)
------------------------------------
* Several surprising games this weekend, with a lot of upsets and exciting finishes.
* USC has won back the overall #1 ranking this week. LSU, Oklahoma and Florida look like the primary contenders right now.
* Like Oklahoma last week, Florida made me a believer this week. Florida is averaging over 55 points per game. LSU has given up one touchdown in three games. I'm excited about their matchup on October 6.
* Boston College has started off the season with three consecutive conference wins. Now they have four straight non-conference games that are very winnable. Look for them to be 7-0 heading into a huge game at Virginia Tech.
* New Hampshire beat Marshall and McNeese St beat Louisiana Lafayette, so now six FCS teams have wins over FBS teams. Their overall record is 6-43.
* Don't look now, but FAU has beaten two teams that went to bowl games last year. Good week for the Sun Belt conference, with wins by Troy and Arkansas St also. In the first two weeks, the conference members hadn't won a non-conference game. Now they have won three.
* Air Force is 3-0 with two conference wins. I thought they would be at the bottom of the conference, but instead they have the early lead over everyone else. I'm looking forward to see what they can do at BYU next week.
* Utah found an offense, even if it was helped by five UCLA turnovers.
* Never underestimate what can happen in a rivalry game. Iowa St lost games against Kent St and Northern Iowa, and then turned around and beat a previously undefeated Iowa team.
* Northern Illinois has lost back-to-back games against Southern Illinois and Eastern Michigan. Somehow I just don't think they will be a contender in the West this season.
* Michigan finally won a game. Notre Dame is still looking for its first offensive touchdown.
* Louisville will probably lose a couple more games this season because of problems on defense.
* San Jose St should be embarrassed by getting shut out by Stanford, the first shut out by the Cardinal since 1996.
* After three weeks, 31 teams are undefeated and 17 haven't won a game yet. The worst team that hasn't lost is probably Connecticut or Indiana. The best team that hasn't won a game is probably Colorado St or Western Michigan.
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Week 3 46-19 (70.77%)
Season 156-40 (79.59%)
------------------------------------
* Several surprising games this weekend, with a lot of upsets and exciting finishes.
* USC has won back the overall #1 ranking this week. LSU, Oklahoma and Florida look like the primary contenders right now.
* Like Oklahoma last week, Florida made me a believer this week. Florida is averaging over 55 points per game. LSU has given up one touchdown in three games. I'm excited about their matchup on October 6.
* Boston College has started off the season with three consecutive conference wins. Now they have four straight non-conference games that are very winnable. Look for them to be 7-0 heading into a huge game at Virginia Tech.
* New Hampshire beat Marshall and McNeese St beat Louisiana Lafayette, so now six FCS teams have wins over FBS teams. Their overall record is 6-43.
* Don't look now, but FAU has beaten two teams that went to bowl games last year. Good week for the Sun Belt conference, with wins by Troy and Arkansas St also. In the first two weeks, the conference members hadn't won a non-conference game. Now they have won three.
* Air Force is 3-0 with two conference wins. I thought they would be at the bottom of the conference, but instead they have the early lead over everyone else. I'm looking forward to see what they can do at BYU next week.
* Utah found an offense, even if it was helped by five UCLA turnovers.
* Never underestimate what can happen in a rivalry game. Iowa St lost games against Kent St and Northern Iowa, and then turned around and beat a previously undefeated Iowa team.
* Northern Illinois has lost back-to-back games against Southern Illinois and Eastern Michigan. Somehow I just don't think they will be a contender in the West this season.
* Michigan finally won a game. Notre Dame is still looking for its first offensive touchdown.
* Louisville will probably lose a couple more games this season because of problems on defense.
* San Jose St should be embarrassed by getting shut out by Stanford, the first shut out by the Cardinal since 1996.
* After three weeks, 31 teams are undefeated and 17 haven't won a game yet. The worst team that hasn't lost is probably Connecticut or Indiana. The best team that hasn't won a game is probably Colorado St or Western Michigan.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Week 3 Preview
Games I'm looking forward to:
* USC at Nebraska -- Hopefully this game will be better than the Virginia Tech at LSU game last week.
* Boston College at Georgia Tech -- Two of the best ACC teams square off. Boston College is trying to start 3-0 in conference and overall, and Georgia Tech is trying to prove that they are one of the best teams in the nation.
* Tennessee at Florida -- Florida gets their first chance to show how well they've reloaded since last year.
* Louisville at Kentucky -- Two really good offenses against two really bad defenses, so it should an exciting, high-scoring game.
* Ohio St at Washington -- Prove it game for Washington, but I think they come up a short even at home.
* Notre Dame at Michigan -- This is my third week in a row picking Michigan. If they disappoint me again, I might not pick them again for the rest of the season.
* Texas at UCF -- UCF is opening a brand new on-campus stadium against highly ranked Texas.
* Southern Miss at East Carolina -- This game will go a long way to decide who wins the C-USA East.
* FIU at Miami -- Just to see if they brawl again.
* USC at Nebraska -- Hopefully this game will be better than the Virginia Tech at LSU game last week.
* Boston College at Georgia Tech -- Two of the best ACC teams square off. Boston College is trying to start 3-0 in conference and overall, and Georgia Tech is trying to prove that they are one of the best teams in the nation.
* Tennessee at Florida -- Florida gets their first chance to show how well they've reloaded since last year.
* Louisville at Kentucky -- Two really good offenses against two really bad defenses, so it should an exciting, high-scoring game.
* Ohio St at Washington -- Prove it game for Washington, but I think they come up a short even at home.
* Notre Dame at Michigan -- This is my third week in a row picking Michigan. If they disappoint me again, I might not pick them again for the rest of the season.
* Texas at UCF -- UCF is opening a brand new on-campus stadium against highly ranked Texas.
* Southern Miss at East Carolina -- This game will go a long way to decide who wins the C-USA East.
* FIU at Miami -- Just to see if they brawl again.
Week 3 Saturday Predictions
Saturday, September 15
Temple at Connecticut
Akron at Indiana
Virginia at North Carolina
Pittsburgh at Michigan St
Illinois at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Miami Ohio
Citadel at Wisconsin
Buffalo at Penn St
Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois
Central Michigan at Purdue
Western Carolina at Georgia
Mississippi St at Auburn
Furman at Clemson
Minnesota at FAU
Ohio at Virginia Tech
Iowa at Iowa St
Western Michigan at Missouri
Tennessee at Florida
Texas Tech at Rice
Notre Dame at Michigan
Army at Wake Forest
Utah St at Oklahoma
Norfolk St at Rutgers
Ohio St at Washington
Texas at UCF
Delaware St at Kent St
FIU at Miami
New Hampshire at Marshall
UCLA at Utah
Southern Miss at East Carolina
Ball St at Navy
Wofford at NC State
Louisiana Tech at California
Arkansas at Alabama
Idaho St at Oregon St
Alcorn St at UAB
Mississippi at Vanderbilt
Louisiana Monroe at Texas A&M
Texas St at Baylor
McNeese St at Louisiana Lafayette
SMU at Arkansas St
Fresno St at Oregon
Toledo at Kansas
South Carolina St at South Carolina
Houston at Tulane
Louisville at Kentucky
Missouri St at Kansas St
Boston College at Georgia Tech
Wyoming at Boise St
MTSU at LSU
Duke at Northwestern
USC at Nebraska
UTEP at New Mexico St
BYU at Tulsa
Jacksonville St at Memphis
Nicholls St at Nevada
Hawaii at UNLV
New Mexico at Arizona
San Diego St at Arizona St
San Jose St at Stanford
Florida St at Colorado
Idaho at Washington St
Temple at Connecticut
Akron at Indiana
Virginia at North Carolina
Pittsburgh at Michigan St
Illinois at Syracuse
Cincinnati at Miami Ohio
Citadel at Wisconsin
Buffalo at Penn St
Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois
Central Michigan at Purdue
Western Carolina at Georgia
Mississippi St at Auburn
Furman at Clemson
Minnesota at FAU
Ohio at Virginia Tech
Iowa at Iowa St
Western Michigan at Missouri
Tennessee at Florida
Texas Tech at Rice
Notre Dame at Michigan
Army at Wake Forest
Utah St at Oklahoma
Norfolk St at Rutgers
Ohio St at Washington
Texas at UCF
Delaware St at Kent St
FIU at Miami
New Hampshire at Marshall
UCLA at Utah
Southern Miss at East Carolina
Ball St at Navy
Wofford at NC State
Louisiana Tech at California
Arkansas at Alabama
Idaho St at Oregon St
Alcorn St at UAB
Mississippi at Vanderbilt
Louisiana Monroe at Texas A&M
Texas St at Baylor
McNeese St at Louisiana Lafayette
SMU at Arkansas St
Fresno St at Oregon
Toledo at Kansas
South Carolina St at South Carolina
Houston at Tulane
Louisville at Kentucky
Missouri St at Kansas St
Boston College at Georgia Tech
Wyoming at Boise St
MTSU at LSU
Duke at Northwestern
USC at Nebraska
UTEP at New Mexico St
BYU at Tulsa
Jacksonville St at Memphis
Nicholls St at Nevada
Hawaii at UNLV
New Mexico at Arizona
San Diego St at Arizona St
San Jose St at Stanford
Florida St at Colorado
Idaho at Washington St
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Week 2 Top 25
Here's my take on how the Top 25 should be ranked. Unlike other polls, expect major shifts from week to week. I'm ranking teams by hand, with each team ranked based on current performance and preseason speculation. The conferences that have the most teams ranked are the Big East and Pac-10 with five each.
1 - LSU (2-0)
2 - USC (1-0)
3 - Oklahoma (2-0)
4 - Georgia Tech (2-0)
5 - California (2-0)
6 - West Virginia (2-0)
7 - Oregon (2-0)
8 - Florida (2-0)
9 - Wisconsin (2-0)
10 - Boston College (2-0)
11 - Nebraska (2-0)
12 - Clemson (2-0)
13 - Missouri (2-0)
14 - Louisville (2-0)
15 - South Carolina (2-0)
16 - Rutgers (2-0)
17 - Penn St (2-0)
18 - UCLA (2-0)
19 - Texas (2-0)
20 - South Florida (2-0)
21 - Ohio St (2-0)
22 - Arkansas (1-0)
23 - Cincinnati (2-0)
24 - Washington (2-0)
25 - Hawaii (2-0)
This week's schedule has three games between ranked opponents: 2 USC at 11 Nebraska, 10 Boston College at 4 Georgia Tech, and 21 Ohio St at 24 Washington.
Other teams that could move up a lot with a win this week are Florida (vs. Tennessee), Louisville (at Kentucky), and Arkansas (at Alabama).
1 - LSU (2-0)
2 - USC (1-0)
3 - Oklahoma (2-0)
4 - Georgia Tech (2-0)
5 - California (2-0)
6 - West Virginia (2-0)
7 - Oregon (2-0)
8 - Florida (2-0)
9 - Wisconsin (2-0)
10 - Boston College (2-0)
11 - Nebraska (2-0)
12 - Clemson (2-0)
13 - Missouri (2-0)
14 - Louisville (2-0)
15 - South Carolina (2-0)
16 - Rutgers (2-0)
17 - Penn St (2-0)
18 - UCLA (2-0)
19 - Texas (2-0)
20 - South Florida (2-0)
21 - Ohio St (2-0)
22 - Arkansas (1-0)
23 - Cincinnati (2-0)
24 - Washington (2-0)
25 - Hawaii (2-0)
This week's schedule has three games between ranked opponents: 2 USC at 11 Nebraska, 10 Boston College at 4 Georgia Tech, and 21 Ohio St at 24 Washington.
Other teams that could move up a lot with a win this week are Florida (vs. Tennessee), Louisville (at Kentucky), and Arkansas (at Alabama).
Week 3 Thursday / Friday Predictions
Thursday, September 13
West Virginia at Maryland
TCU at Air Force
Friday, September 14
Oklahoma St at Troy
West Virginia at Maryland
TCU at Air Force
Friday, September 14
Oklahoma St at Troy
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Week 2 Wrapup
My picks:
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Season 110-21 (83.97%)
------------------
* South Carolina pulled off the upset over #11 Georgia, the first of several big wins for the Gamecocks this year.
* Now I'm willing to call Oklahoma the real thing. They look like one of the best teams in the country. On the other hand, Miami looked bad. This may be another .500 year for them.
* South Florida did pull off the upset at Auburn. Blame the Auburn coach, who chose to run out the clock at the end of the fourth quarter rather than try to get into field goal range. They had the ball on the 36-yard line with 42 seconds left and two timeouts. They let the clock run out instead of trying to get 30-35 yards and bring in their kicker, who was 2-2 on the night already.
* LSU made their argument for best team in the country with their dominant win over Virginia Tech. USC needs to answer back when they play at Nebraska next week.
* Michigan looked bad again this week. So did Notre Dame. Someone has to win their matchup next week, but it might be a really ugly game.
* Washington pulled off a huge win over Boise St, and may be a better team than I originally thought. It will be interesting to see how they play against Ohio St at home next week. It will also be interesting to see if they can avoid a late-season collapse like the one that happened last year.
* Utah lost to Air Force, showing their offensive problems due to the loss of their top two playmakers in Week 1.
* Iowa St and Northern Illinois both lost to FCS teams, bringing the total to four FCS over FBS wins this season.
* I hit four out of six of the points spreads, missing the Washington upset of Boise St and Texas' huge fourth quarter over TCU.
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Week 2 52-9 (85.25%)
Season 110-21 (83.97%)
------------------
* South Carolina pulled off the upset over #11 Georgia, the first of several big wins for the Gamecocks this year.
* Now I'm willing to call Oklahoma the real thing. They look like one of the best teams in the country. On the other hand, Miami looked bad. This may be another .500 year for them.
* South Florida did pull off the upset at Auburn. Blame the Auburn coach, who chose to run out the clock at the end of the fourth quarter rather than try to get into field goal range. They had the ball on the 36-yard line with 42 seconds left and two timeouts. They let the clock run out instead of trying to get 30-35 yards and bring in their kicker, who was 2-2 on the night already.
* LSU made their argument for best team in the country with their dominant win over Virginia Tech. USC needs to answer back when they play at Nebraska next week.
* Michigan looked bad again this week. So did Notre Dame. Someone has to win their matchup next week, but it might be a really ugly game.
* Washington pulled off a huge win over Boise St, and may be a better team than I originally thought. It will be interesting to see how they play against Ohio St at home next week. It will also be interesting to see if they can avoid a late-season collapse like the one that happened last year.
* Utah lost to Air Force, showing their offensive problems due to the loss of their top two playmakers in Week 1.
* Iowa St and Northern Illinois both lost to FCS teams, bringing the total to four FCS over FBS wins this season.
* I hit four out of six of the points spreads, missing the Washington upset of Boise St and Texas' huge fourth quarter over TCU.
Friday, September 7, 2007
More on Week 2
Games I'm looking forward to:
* South Carolina at Georgia -- Upset Special -- South Carolina starts their run to the top of the East here.
* TCU at Texas -- Last week TCU shut down Baylor and Texas looked vulnerable against Arkansas St. A TCU win here would have them thinking about an undefeated season.
* Virginia Tech at LSU -- Two top defenses will slug it out. LSU comes out with the win with a better offense and the home crowd behind them.
* South Florida at Auburn -- I was really close to calling this game my upset special. Let's just say the Tigers better be prepared or the Bulls will walk out of Jordan-Hare with a win.
* Oregon at Michigan -- This game may be the most important one Michigan will play all year, as it will probably determine how the rest of their season will go.
* Miami at Oklahoma -- Everyone was heaping too much praise on OU after trouncing UNT. I want to see what their offense does against the Miami defense before I give them the same amount of credit.
* Alabama at Vanderbilt -- Vandy has a great chance for an upset and a statement game here.
* Bowling Green at Michigan St -- Can the Falcons do it again?
* Indiana at Western Michigan -- A game that could go either way, because it's difficult to get a good read on either team based on their Week 1 performances.
* Toledo at Central Michigan -- I just want to see if this Central Michigan team is really as bad as they looked in Week 1.
Point Spreads:
I'm not a betting man, but the following lines look interesting to me.
* West Virginia (-24.5) over Marshall
* Buffalo (+3.5) over Temple
* Bowling Green (+18) over Michigan St
* Missouri (-6) over Mississippi
* Boise St (-3) over Washington
* TCU (+9) over Texas
* South Carolina at Georgia -- Upset Special -- South Carolina starts their run to the top of the East here.
* TCU at Texas -- Last week TCU shut down Baylor and Texas looked vulnerable against Arkansas St. A TCU win here would have them thinking about an undefeated season.
* Virginia Tech at LSU -- Two top defenses will slug it out. LSU comes out with the win with a better offense and the home crowd behind them.
* South Florida at Auburn -- I was really close to calling this game my upset special. Let's just say the Tigers better be prepared or the Bulls will walk out of Jordan-Hare with a win.
* Oregon at Michigan -- This game may be the most important one Michigan will play all year, as it will probably determine how the rest of their season will go.
* Miami at Oklahoma -- Everyone was heaping too much praise on OU after trouncing UNT. I want to see what their offense does against the Miami defense before I give them the same amount of credit.
* Alabama at Vanderbilt -- Vandy has a great chance for an upset and a statement game here.
* Bowling Green at Michigan St -- Can the Falcons do it again?
* Indiana at Western Michigan -- A game that could go either way, because it's difficult to get a good read on either team based on their Week 1 performances.
* Toledo at Central Michigan -- I just want to see if this Central Michigan team is really as bad as they looked in Week 1.
Point Spreads:
I'm not a betting man, but the following lines look interesting to me.
* West Virginia (-24.5) over Marshall
* Buffalo (+3.5) over Temple
* Bowling Green (+18) over Michigan St
* Missouri (-6) over Mississippi
* Boise St (-3) over Washington
* TCU (+9) over Texas
Week 2 Saturday Predictions
West Virginia at Marshall
Maine at Connecticut
Nevada at Northwestern
Bowling Green at Michigan St
Miami Ohio at Minnesota
Nebraska at Wake Forest
Akron at Ohio St
Miami at Oklahoma
Grambling St at Pittsburgh
Duke at Virginia
Eastern Illinois at Purdue
Alabama at Vanderbilt
Buffalo at Temple
Louisiana Monroe at Clemson
Rhode Island at Army
Samford at Georgia Tech
California at Colorado St
Utah St at Wyoming
NC State at Boston College
Northern Arizona at Arizona
Ball St at Eastern Michigan
Oregon at Michigan
Fresno St at Texas A&M
Boise St at Washington
UAB at Florida St
Cal Poly at Idaho
South Carolina at Georgia
Troy at Florida
Kent St at Kentucky
Missouri at Mississippi
North Carolina at East Carolina
Notre Dame at Penn St
Air Force at Utah
BYU at UCLA
Northern Iowa at Iowa St
Rice at Baylor
TCU at Texas
San Diego St at Washington St
Ohio at Louisiana Lafayette
Western Illinois at Illinois
Memphis at Arkansas St
Toledo at Central Michigan
Maryland at FIU
Southeastern Louisiana at Kansas
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
Southern Miss at Tennessee
UTEP at Texas Tech
Mississippi St at Tulane
FAU at Oklahoma St
San Jose St at Kansas St
Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois
North Texas at SMU
Indiana at Western Michigan
Syracuse at Iowa
South Florida at Auburn
Virginia Tech at LSU
New Mexico St at New Mexico
Wisconsin at UNLV
Colorado at Arizona St
Maine at Connecticut
Nevada at Northwestern
Bowling Green at Michigan St
Miami Ohio at Minnesota
Nebraska at Wake Forest
Akron at Ohio St
Miami at Oklahoma
Grambling St at Pittsburgh
Duke at Virginia
Eastern Illinois at Purdue
Alabama at Vanderbilt
Buffalo at Temple
Louisiana Monroe at Clemson
Rhode Island at Army
Samford at Georgia Tech
California at Colorado St
Utah St at Wyoming
NC State at Boston College
Northern Arizona at Arizona
Ball St at Eastern Michigan
Oregon at Michigan
Fresno St at Texas A&M
Boise St at Washington
UAB at Florida St
Cal Poly at Idaho
South Carolina at Georgia
Troy at Florida
Kent St at Kentucky
Missouri at Mississippi
North Carolina at East Carolina
Notre Dame at Penn St
Air Force at Utah
BYU at UCLA
Northern Iowa at Iowa St
Rice at Baylor
TCU at Texas
San Diego St at Washington St
Ohio at Louisiana Lafayette
Western Illinois at Illinois
Memphis at Arkansas St
Toledo at Central Michigan
Maryland at FIU
Southeastern Louisiana at Kansas
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
Southern Miss at Tennessee
UTEP at Texas Tech
Mississippi St at Tulane
FAU at Oklahoma St
San Jose St at Kansas St
Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois
North Texas at SMU
Indiana at Western Michigan
Syracuse at Iowa
South Florida at Auburn
Virginia Tech at LSU
New Mexico St at New Mexico
Wisconsin at UNLV
Colorado at Arizona St
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Week 2 Thursday / Friday Predictions
Thursday, September 6
MTSU at Louisville
Oregon St at Cincinnati
Friday, September 7
Navy at Rutgers
* The Oregon St-Cincinnati game is one of the more underrated matchups this week
MTSU at Louisville
Oregon St at Cincinnati
Friday, September 7
Navy at Rutgers
* The Oregon St-Cincinnati game is one of the more underrated matchups this week
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Week 1 Wrapup
My Picks
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Season 58-12 (82.86%)
Most surprising wins
* Appalachian St over Michigan (Nothing more to add here, it has been discussed plenty)
* Kansas over Central Michigan (Is Kansas that good or Central Michigan that bad? I really don't know yet)
* Wyoming over Virginia (Wow, the Cavaliers looked bad with only 5 first downs and 110 total yards)
* UTEP over New Mexico (How do you have 383 yards of total offense, go 3-3 on fourth down conversions, never turn the ball over, and only manage to score six points?)
My Ramblings
* Utah looks to be in trouble with injuries sustained to the starting QB and RB in the Oregon St game. QB Brian Johnson is out for at least three weeks and RB Matt Asiata is out for the season. Looking at the next five games, the Utes should still be able to beat Air Force, UNLV, and Utah St. The games against UCLA and Louisville will be extremely hard to win short-handed.
* Washington is going to be a little overrated after a dominating win at Syracuse. I expect them to lose the next four games, starting with Boise St on Saturday.
* The Georgia Tech - Notre Dame game wasn't nearly as surprising as everybody is making it out to be,
* Is it too early to call Marlon Lucky and Matt Ryan under-the-radar Heisman candidates? Probably, but you should keep your eye on them.
* Western Michigan should win the MAC even if they did give up 62 points to West Virginia.
* Don't write off trendy-pick Oklahoma St just because they lost to Georgia. That game reminded me a lot of last year's USC-Arkansas matchup. Everyone forgot about Arkansas after they were blown out, but they still wound up with a 10 win season and a trip to the SEC Championship Game. So don't forget about the Cowboys based on this one game.
* Week 2 Predictions and Previews coming up tomorrow...
Week 1 58-12 (82.86%)
Season 58-12 (82.86%)
Most surprising wins
* Appalachian St over Michigan (Nothing more to add here, it has been discussed plenty)
* Kansas over Central Michigan (Is Kansas that good or Central Michigan that bad? I really don't know yet)
* Wyoming over Virginia (Wow, the Cavaliers looked bad with only 5 first downs and 110 total yards)
* UTEP over New Mexico (How do you have 383 yards of total offense, go 3-3 on fourth down conversions, never turn the ball over, and only manage to score six points?)
My Ramblings
* Utah looks to be in trouble with injuries sustained to the starting QB and RB in the Oregon St game. QB Brian Johnson is out for at least three weeks and RB Matt Asiata is out for the season. Looking at the next five games, the Utes should still be able to beat Air Force, UNLV, and Utah St. The games against UCLA and Louisville will be extremely hard to win short-handed.
* Washington is going to be a little overrated after a dominating win at Syracuse. I expect them to lose the next four games, starting with Boise St on Saturday.
* The Georgia Tech - Notre Dame game wasn't nearly as surprising as everybody is making it out to be,
* Is it too early to call Marlon Lucky and Matt Ryan under-the-radar Heisman candidates? Probably, but you should keep your eye on them.
* Western Michigan should win the MAC even if they did give up 62 points to West Virginia.
* Don't write off trendy-pick Oklahoma St just because they lost to Georgia. That game reminded me a lot of last year's USC-Arkansas matchup. Everyone forgot about Arkansas after they were blown out, but they still wound up with a 10 win season and a trip to the SEC Championship Game. So don't forget about the Cowboys based on this one game.
* Week 2 Predictions and Previews coming up tomorrow...
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