2012 College Football Bowl Season!

Ah yes, it is that time of the year again.  Christmas?  meh.  New Years?  Well there's one good reason for that day.  Mainly there are really good bowl games on that day.  But we have a lot to cover before then as well.

Yes, that time of the year where ESPN tells us the reason to watch all these games (except the Sun Bowl and Cotton Bowl since they are on "lesser" stations) but to remember that the SEC is superior in every way in college football.

The realignment scene won't go away during this time of the year though.  The seven basketball-only schools of the Big East are bailing and possibly taking the name with them.  It leaves us with a big gaping hole on the future for a bunch of schools.  But we can ignore it for now, its game time.

Given the situation the BCS title game is the right matchup.  With Ohio State ineligible that puts them out.  The other one loss teams are Kansas State (5 loss Baylor), Alabama (2 loss Texas A&M), Florida (2 loss Georgia), and Oregon (2 loss Stanford).  Kansas State is out for losing to a five-loss team.  Of the rest only Alabama won their conference.  Oregon and Florida didn't even win their divisions.

I'm still laughing at Ohio State though.  The school could have easily skipped the bowl game last year for their 6-6 squad but chose not to.

Anyway, on to the picks!

-Gildan New Mexico Bowl; Nevada vs Arizona: Nevada had one big win, the opener over Cal.  Arizona had two big wins against USC and Oklahoma State.  That's enough for me, Arizona by 7.
-Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; Toledo vs Utah State: Toledo had a nice big win against Cincinnati, Utah State had a big win against Utah and Louisiana Tech.  Flip a coin here and... Utah State wins by 3.
-San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl; BYU vs San Diego State: One common opponent, SDSU beat Boise State in a low scoring game while BYU lost to Boise State in a low scoring game.  SDSU by 7.
-Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg; Ball State vs UCF: Both teams had good years, the MAC was better than Conference USA though.  Ball State by 10.
-R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl; East Carolina vs Louisiana-Lafayette: East Carolina celebrates an invite to the defunct Big East by losing to the home-state team.  LA-Lafayette by 4.
-Maaco Bowl Las Vegas; Washington vs Boise State: In what might be described as an off year by Boise State standards (2 losses, wtf?), Washington has played horribly on the road this year and Vegas is a long way from Seattle.  Boise State by 10.
-Sheraton Hawaii Bowl; Fresno State vs SMU: SMU barely makes it in, Fresno is a much better program this year.  Fresno by 10.
-Little Caesars Bowl; Western Kentucky vs Central Michigan: Once again, MAC > Sun Belt, so Central Michigan by 7.
-Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grummand; San Jose State vs Bowling Green: Say goodbye to the WAC, Bowling Green by 10.
-Belk Bowl; Cincinnati vs Duke: Congratulations to Duke for finally getting to a bowl game for the first time since 1994.  Charlotte welcomes you!  Unfortunately this isn't basketball so against a good team not UNC you don't have a chance.  Cincinnati by 14.
-Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl; Baylor vs UCLA: Baylor is currently the Perpetual National Champion, but UCLA will be shortly.  UCLA by 10.
-Advocare V100 Independence Bowl; Ohio vs Lousiana-Monroe: In what may be the lowest bowl game on the scale, Ohio will revert to the form they had in the early season and win.  Ohio by 10.
-Russell Athletic Bowl; Rutgers vs Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech is bad this year, very bad.  Six losses?  Try seven.  Rutgers by 4.
-Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas; Minnesota vs Texas Tech: These two teams met once before, in the Insight Bowl six years ago.  Minnesota had a huge lead only to watch Texas Tech come back and win it.  This time there is no Mike Leach present, so the opposite will be true.  Minnesota by 4.
-Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl; Rice vs Air Force: One team will leave with seven losses on the year.  Given what I've seen of Conference USA this year, it'll be Rice.  Air Force by 4.
-New Era Pinstripe Bowl; West Virginia vs Syracuse: Two teams that determined the fate of the Big East by leaving it meet here.  These two teams Do Not Like Each Other so this should be fun to watch.  If West Virginia can find any form of a defense the Mountaineers will win.  WVU by 10.
-Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl; Navy vs Arizona State: Navy started the year off poorly but came back to win a lot of games.  Arizona State did the opposite.  This game will not end that way though.  Arizona State by 14.
-Valero Alamo Bowl; Texas vs Oregon State: Oregon State didn't quite finish how they wanted to, neither did Texas.  This could be one of the better matchups this bowl season between two heavyweights.  Texas will pull away at the end though.  Texas by 4.
-Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl; TCU vs Michigan State: Michigan State has been a bust this year while TCU struggled a bit in the Big 12 but managed to pull off some wins late.  TCU wins here by 6.
-Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl; NC State vs Vanderbilt: NC State was maddingly inconsistent all year and that led to a head coaching change.  Vanderbilt comes in riding high on a six game winning streak.  The Commodores are a tough bunch and NCSU won't know how to play that.  Vandy by 17.
-Hyundai Sun Bowl; USC vs Georgia Tech: Who needs defense?  Both teams struggled mightily on defense this year, but both have high-powered offenses capable of scoring on anyone.  USC should win this game though, in my opinion by a lot.  USC by 20.
-Autozone Liberty Bowl; Iowa State vs Tulsa: Conference USA had a crappy year, but Tulsa did win it and won it well.  That being said, the three losses by Tulsa?  SMU, Arkansas and oh... Iowa State.  Rematches don't usually go well, Tulsa better remember how the season opened.  Tulsa by 3.
-Chick-fil-a Bowl; LSU vs Clemson: Clemson's high powered offense returns to the Georgia Dome to take on a tough-as-nails defense in LSU.  My prediction on this game comes to one of their two common opponents: South Carolina.  The Gamecocks played both on the road, lost to LSU in a game that could have gone either way, but beat up Clemson with the backup QB and RB in.  See where this is going?  LSU by 10.
-Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl; Mississippi State vs Northwestern: Two seasons ago Mississippi State came to Jacksonville and blew out Michigan.  Northwestern hasn't won a bowl game in decades now.  The trends continue.  Mississippi State by 5.
-Heart of Dallas Bowl; Purdue vs Oklahoma State: With a coaching change, a mediocre Purdue team won't have enough preparation for Oklahoma State.  Oklahoma State by 10.
-Outback Bowl; South Carolina vs Michigan: Both schools had good years but had bigger aspirations.  Both want a good jump on the next season.  South Carolina is the better team here, look for a big win by the GameCocks.  SC by 14.
-Capital One Bowl; Georgia vs Nebraska: If the same Nebraska team that showed up against Wisconsin arrives here, this will be over quickly.  I don't think it will be that bad, but it won't be that good for Nebraska either.  UGA by 10.
-Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio; Wisconsin vs Stanford: Stanford will be fired up for this.  They have to be.  First Rose Bowl since the 1999 Season.  Wisconsin is making the trip for the third straight year.  Barry Alvarez returns to lead the Badgers for this game as well.  The last time he coached here? January 1, 2000 against Stanford.  Alvarez never lost a game here, and will continue the trend.  Wisconsin by 8.
-Discover Orange Bowl; Northern Illinois vs Florida State: I don't care what Kirk Herbstreit says.  Northern Illinois earned this game.  Florida State gets an easy draw here, but lets face it, the ACC in BCS games is usually the easy victory for the opposing team.  Northern Illinois pulls the upset and wins by 3.
-Allstate Sugar Bowl; Lousiville vs Florida: Depending on how things go this year, this may be the last Big East team in the BCS.  Florida had a great year but that loss to Georgia threw off all title plans.  The Sugar Bowl isn't a bad consolation prize though.  Charlie Strong of Louisville returns to play the team he was a defensive co-ordinator for in New Orleans.  Florida wins by 14.
-Tostitos Fiesta Bowl; Oregon vs Kansas State: Kansas State was one of the few teams to play defense in the Big 12 this year, and it was enough to win the conference.  Oregon got stonewalled by the one good defense they played all year.  Kansas State wins by 4.
-AT&T Cotton Bowl; Texas A&M vs Oklahoma: I thought two Big 12 schools couldn't play each other in a bowl game.  Oh wait... that's right, A&M left.  It's still strange to me.  Oklahoma will have a plan for the Heisman winner Manziel.  Oklahoma by 6.
-BBVA compass Bowl; Pittsburgh vs Ole Miss: For the third straight year Pitt travels to Birmingham.  This will be the first time of those three trips that their head coach makes it with them.  Ole Miss had a nice year under first year coach Hugh Freeze.  Pitt had a tough start but pulled it out with first year coach Paul Chryst.  Ole Miss wins here by 9.
-Godaddy.com Bowl; Kent State vs Arkansas State: The biggest difference between these two schools is that Arkansas State actually won their conference, Kent State lost the MAC Championship game.  Despite that, the MAC was a better conference this year, Kent State wins by 3.
-Discover BCS National Championship; Notre Dame vs Alabama: Oh right, SEC team in the title game, easy pickings, right?  A repeat national title for Bama?  Not so fast my friend.  Notre Dame is one damn fine team and can win this game.  Will it happen?  Well okay, no, but this should be a fun game to watch.  Alabama will pull away with a touchdown late and win by 10.

2012 College Football Week 13!

Commentary: Alright, its rivalry week.  Throw out the records, forget what's happened before, and get ready for heartache from one side and joy from the other.  Bragging rights are on the line.

Cheering for:
-The underdogs: Its great when the little school comes up with the victory against the bigger ones during rivalry week.  We've already seen Vanderbilt smash Tennessee this season and it has sent shockwaves through Knoxville.

Laughing at:
-Miami: All that work just to give it away.  Oh well, I'll take the trip to Charlotte, thanks Miami!

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss: a one point loss to UTEP last week keeps them winless.  There is one chance left: this week at 3-8 Memphis.

Top 25:
1 Notre Dame
2 Ohio State
3 Florida
4 Clemson
5 Rutgers
6 Alabama
7 Georgia
8 Oregon
9 Oklahoma
10 LSU
11 Nebraska
12 South Carolina
13 Texas A&M
14 Florida State
15 Kansas State
16 Louisville
17 Stanford
18 Louisiana Tech
19 San Jose State
20 Michigan
21 Ball State
22 Northern Illinois
23 Oregon State
24 Mississippi State
25 Cincinnati

The picks:
-TCU at Texas: Now that A&M is gone off to the SEC, this will have to do for Thanksgiving night.  Both teams have had disappointing seasons.  Both are bowl eligible but that's about it.  Texas is the better team here, should win at home tonight.  Texas by 10.
-LSU at Arkansas: Both teams had great expectations this season.  LSU fell slightly short after losing to Florida and Alabama.  Arkansas came nowhere close.  A big "what if" can be asked about Petrino if he hadn't been sent packing and stayed for the entire year, but we'll never know.  LSU finishes off the season with a big win, wins by 14.
-Washington at Washington State: Mike Leach's first year at Washington State definitely hasn't gone as planned.  There have been a few highlights but quite a few disppointing Saturday's in Pullman.  Washington comes in needing to finish off a good year, not a great year as had hoped.  Washington wins by 15.
-Arizona State at Arizona: A four game losing streak brough Arizona State's season to a resounding thud.  Thankfully for them the streak ended with a win over Washington State last week.  Arizona has been more consistent throughout the year however.  I think that makes the difference here in a battle between first year coaches.  Arizona by 4.
-Georgia Tech at Georgia: I'd love to see it happen.  I'd love to have bragging rights for the year.  I'd love to see all hopes for the DWAGS slim national championship chance vanish this Saturday in Athens.  I just don't see how it could happen.  GT's best hope is to outscore the DWAGS in a shootout, but UGA's defense will probably prevent that.  GT has never beaten a top 10 UGA team when coming into the game unranked.  For the most part, GT has not done well against a ranked UGA team at all when unranked themselves (2-22 all time).  Tech's defense relies on the other team making mistakes, instead of forcing them to make mistakes.  That won't happen much this Saturday.  UGA by 10.
-Michigan at Ohio State: It is sad that Ohio State isn't eligible for the postseason this year, but it is their own fault for it.  Last season could have been handled much better than it was.  Urban Meyer has the team rolling and rolling well.  Urban Meyer simply does not lose to rivals often.  At Florida he never lost to Tennessee, lost to UGA once in six years, and lost to Florida State only once as well.  It doesn't get any bigger than this on a national stage either.  Michigan comes in playing well, not a pushover at all.  Ohio State seems to have it together more than Michigan though.  Ohio State by 7.
-Virginia at Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech owns the series as of late, and needs the win to be bowl eligible.  UVA is done after this.  I get the feeling that VT will be playing this tougher than usual out of necessity.  VT by 10.
-Indiana at Purdue: Indiana had a better season that most expected, Purdue did not.  That being said Indiana is done after this game, Purdue needs the win for bowl eligibility. Purdue should win this game out of necessity, Indiana just wants the bragging rights for once.  Purdue by 3.
-Baylor at Texas Tech: How does Baylor follow up after last week?  Texas Tech has been on a free fall losing three of the last four, with the victory being an overtime win against Kansas.  Baylor is in line for a letdown, and this is not a team to do that against.  Texas Tech by 10.
-Oregon at Oregon State: And it all came crashing down for Oregon last week.  The Ducks were in line for the national championship game, the offense was humming along with little issue, they just had two tough games left before the PAC 12 Championship.  Stanford stuffed them, quite literally stuffed Oregon's offense.  Now the Ducks aren't even in control of their PAC 12 destiny.  And now we have the Civil War coming.  Oregon State has had quite a nice year, for awhile I had them ranked #1!  Two losses have left them with little to fight for, but this is one of them.  Bragging rights are on the line and Oregon comes into Corvalis limping a bit.  Oregon State will take advantage of that.  Oregon State by 6.
-Florida at Florida State: This might be the best game of the weekend.  Both teams come in with one loss each.  This almost reminds me of the 90s when these teams were always near the top of the rankings.  Due to the bad loss on FSU's resume I don't have them ranked as high as the BCS does, but I think that tells me something as well.  There was no reason for FSU to lose at NC State.  Florida's loss was to a much better team in UGA.  That will be the difference.  Florida by 4.
-Oklahoma State at Oklahoma: Both teams have had good years, both wanted great years.  There will be a lot on the line in Norman when this game kicks off.  Oklahoma owns the series as of late.  The Cowboys' win last year was nice, but only once.  Oklahoma by 10.
-Auburn at Alabama: I have to put the Iron Bowl on this list just due to the intensity of the rivalry.  Auburn flat out stinks this year.  Alabama is still in control of its own destiny.  Alabama by 25.
-Stanford at UCLA: Stanford can win the PAC 12 by winning this game and winning the 2nd PAC 12 Championship.  UCLA can win the PAC 12 by winning next week.  That's right, if Stanford wins this week the Cardinal will play UCLA again next week for the PAC 12 title.  I'm guessing the conference heads didn't see this coming.  Stanford is playing well, but is due for a letdown after last week.  UCLA by 3.
-Mississippi State at Ole Miss: This should be quite a good game.  Ole Miss can win this and go to a bowl game, a loss ends the Rebels season.  Mississippi State has had no issues beating Ole Miss lately, and that streak should continue this year.  Mississippi State by 10.
-South Carolina at Clemson: Both schools have had wonderful years.  A combined three losses coming in between the two teams makes this game bigger than it has ever been.  Clemson's offense against South Carolina's defense should be fun to watch.  The other side of that won't be too shabby either.  South Carolina is a bit tougher here and has three wins in a row against the Tigers.  South Carolina by 7.
-Notre Dame at USC: USC has been disappointing lately with little to cheer for. Notre Dame just needs this win to play in the BCS Championship Game.  Notre Dame has faced tougher challenges this season and won, so I doubt there will be too much to worry about for the Irish here.  Notre Dame by 14.

2012 College Football Week 12!

2012 College Football Week 12!

Sorry just picks today, don't have time to make an actual post:

-UCF at Tulsa: Quick, name the leaders of Conference USA's two divisions?  Yeah, these two.  I have no idea who will win this one, so the coin flip says UCF.  UCF by 3.
-Rutgers at Cincinnati: Rutgers is the last undefeated team in conference play in the Big East, but Cincinnati and Louisville only have one loss themselves.  Rutgers is the stronger team here, but Cincinnati won't lose at home.  Cincy by 4.
-South Florida at Miami: The Big East would love nothing more than to beat the ACC Coastal leader, but South Florida isn't the team to do it.  Miami will score a lot and USF can't quite keep up.  Miami by 10.
-USC at UCLA: USC turned the ship around last week with a big win against Arizona State.  UCLA is riding a four game winning streak.  Don't be fooled, USC is much better here.  USC by 10.
-Duke at Georgia Tech: Alright Jackets, beat Duke and continue to bowl streak.  You may want to find a defense first though.  Giving up 50 to UNC sucked, thank goodness the offense was unstoppable.  Duke will slow down GT enough to keep it under 50, but Duke's offense won't score that much either.  Jackets win a wild one by 2.
-Minnesota at Nebraska: in 1983 Nebraska played Minnesota and won 84-13, scoring 21 in each quarter.  Minnesota hasn't beaten Nebraska since 1960, losing 15 in a row.  That goes to 16 today.  Nebraska by 14.
-Texas Tech at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State is playing well, Texas Tech has had issues lately, on the field and on the sideline.  That spells trouble against the Cowboys.  Oklahoma State by 14.
-NC State at Clemson: The Textile Bowl is here, and NC State is struggling after a great start.  A Big win over Wake Forest last week helps, but Clemson won't let NC State surprise them this year.  Clemson by 10.
-Ohio State at Wisconsin: Ohio State is down to two games left for a perfect season, damn shame there will be no postseason for the Buckeyes.  They'd be in the BCS Championship discussion if it wasn't for that.  Madison, Wisconsin is usually not pleasant for visitors.  Wisconsin is good, but not that good.  I see a tough game here but Ohio State wins it late.  Ohio State by 2.
-Utah State at Louisiana Tech: Both teams are undefeated in conference play and it comes down to this for Utah State.  A win here gives them the last WAC title.  Louisiana Tech plays San Jose State next week for the title if they win here (SJSU lost to Utah State earlier, but that's it).  From what I've seen Louisiana Tech is the better team here plus the fact it is a home game gives the edge to the Bulldogs.  La Tech by 10.
-Tennessee at Vanderbilt: How bad are things at Tennessee?  They've won 28 of the past 29 games with Vanderbilt, but they're not favored today.  How messed up is that?  Vandy is playing well, Tennessee poorly.  We've heard this before and the results are always the same.  Tennessee by 3.
-Stanford at Oregon: The Ducks are in position to play for the BCS Championship, but three tough games remain.  Today against Stanford, next week against Oregon State, and either USC or UCLA in the PAC 12 Championship game.  Stanford is built to beat the big teams, but not Oregon.  Oregon will put up the points and Stanford won't be able to keep up.  Oregon by 14.

2012 College Football Week 11!

Commentary:
-As we get into November most of the conference races are over, or are at least down to two teams.  Means there's a lot of games that almost nobody cares about going on, but still plenty of interesting matchups.
-The SEC is nearly wrapped up, at least for who's playing in the championship game in Atlanta.  Barring upsets from Texas A&M and Auburn, Alabama will represent the West.  If Georgia beats Auburn today the dwags will represent the East.  If UGA loses, Florida goes in the game instead.
-Kansas State nearly has the Big 12 set, but there are still three conference games to go and the status of Quarterback Colin Klein is questionable for today's game.  Oklahoma has the outside shot to get in.
-The ACC is nearly set.  With Florida State's win on Thursday against Virginia Tech, it would take an upset by Maryland to keep them out of Charlotte.  Clemson needs that upset plus a win today and next week.  The dumpster fire that we call the Coastal Division is led by Miami with Duke still having a chance to go to the game.  UNC is up in the standings but is ineligible.
-The Big East still has a lot to play for, there is no championship game here though.  Louisville and Rutgers are undefeated in conference play, Cincinnati has one loss (to Louisville).
-Nebraska's win over Michigan gives the Huskers a leg up in the Legends division of the Big Ten, but it is far from over.  Ohio State is cruising right along in the Leaders division but is ineligible for the championship game, as well is Penn State at #2.  The winner of today's Indiana at Wisconsin game is likely to go to the Big Ten Championship game, yes Indiana.
-The PAC12 north will be decided among Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford.  The three teams have yet to play one-another.  The PAC12 south will be decided among USC, UCLA and Arizona State.  UCLA has already beaten Arizona State and USC plays them today.  UCLA and USC meet at the end of the year as usual.

Laughing at:
-Colorado: Never seen a team more pitiful than this, and I saw Georgia Tech in 1994.

Cheering for:
-Army: The Black Knights broke a six year losing streak to Air Force last week!  The Army-Navy game at the end of the year will decide the Commander-in-Chief's trophy.

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss: Still winless, lost a tough one at home to UAB last week.  None of the Golden Eagles' remaining games are against teams with winning records so there is still a chance for at least one victory.
-UMass: A blowout loss to Northern Illinois wasn't terribly surprising last week.  The remaining games against Akron, Buffalo, and central Michigan may provide a win with a good game on the field.

Top 25:
1 Notre Dame
2 Kansas State
3 Alabama
4 Oregon
5 Ohio State
6 Louisville
7 Clemson
7 Rutgers
7 Florida
7 Oklahoma
11 Georgia
11 Louisiana Tech
11 LSU
14 Cincinnati
14 Nebraska
14 Mississippi State
17 Florida State
17 South Carolina
17 Texas A&M
17 Michigan
17 Oregon State
22 Northern Illinois
22 Stanford
22 San Jose State
22 Ball State

The picks:
-Wisconsin at Indiana: The winner here gets the big upper hand in the division race.  Indiana has been a nice story, but Wisconsin isn't going down here.  Wisconsin by 14.
-Northwestern at Michigan: Denard Robinson won't start for Michigan and that will be a problem.  Michigan's defense is good enough to slow down Northwestern, but the offense won't be able to score enough.  Northwestern by 4.
-Arkansas at South Carolina: In this series, if Arkansas finishes the season with a winning record then the Razorbacks win this game.  Arkansas is 4-5 going into the game, so it very well may decide the fact.  I think South Carolina is much better this year.  South Carolina by 10.
-Georgia Tech at North Carolina: Well Jackets, it is time to decide the post-season fate.  If you want to stay at home, lose this game.  If you want to continue the bowl streak, go out and win this game on the road.  Unfortunately for the Jackets UNC took a bye-week last week, and that spells doom for this offense.  UNC by 10.
-Oregon State at Stanford: Both teams are chasing Oregon but the loser is pretty much eliminated here.  Stanford is the tougher team, especially at home.  Stanford wins by 7.
-Arizona State at USC: USC is facing controversy at the moment and it very well may derail the team.  Arizona State comes in needing a win after three straight defeats.  I don't think the Sun Devils have enough here to win on the road.  USC by 10.
-Penn State at Nebraska: After the first two weeks of the season, I wouldn't have thought this game would have mattered.  Penn State was 0-2 losing to Ohio and Virginia, Nebraska was 1-1 after losing on the road to UCLA.  Since then both teams are 6-1, both losing to Ohio State.  Nebraska has been unstoppable at home and the trend will continue.  Nebraska by 14.
-West Virginia at Oklahoma State: This one should be fun to watch, the offenses here are magnificent.  West Virginia was looking great to start the season but three straight losses have derailed the Mountaineers.  Oklahoma State has enough defense to win this.  Oklahoma State by 7.
-Texas A&M at Alabama: After last week's big win by Alabama at LSU (at night too) you would expect a bit of a letdown.  I could understand a little bit of one at least, but Nick Saban won't.  Texas A&M has been a big surprise in their inaugural year in the SEC, but they don't have enough to win here.  Alabama by 10.
-Georgia at Auburn: The Oldest Rivalry in the South continues, but that's about the only reason to watch this game.  We've seen a few upsets here before, but I don't see Auburn coming anywhere close.  UGA by 20.
-Mississippi State at LSU: LSU has to rebound and rebound in a hurry.  Mississippi State has two losses in row.  LSU is much stronger up front and that will be the difference.  LSU by 10.
-Kansas State at TCU: Collin Klein's status in the game is questionable, TCU hasn't been up to their usual defensive standards this season.  After the overtime win last week, TCU won't have enough in the tank to keep up with Kansas State.  KSU by 7.

2012 College Football Week 10!

Commentary:
-It has been more and more difficult for me to get up for football season this year as the year goes along.  I know most of that stems from the fact that my own team isn't playing well at all.  The situation on the flats just gets worse and worse every week, Athletic Director Dan Radakovich bailed for Clemson this week.  I don't know what to think at this point.  Three years removed from an ACC championship and it feels like it will never happen again.

-The Colorado Curse: Every team (except one) that has played Colorado has lost the following week.  The only one who didn't was FCS Sacramento State.  Oregon played Colorado last week and plays USC this week.  Keep an eye on the game.

Cheering For:
-Air Force and Army: Good luck guys, have a good one on the field today.

Laughing at:
-Will Muschamp, head coach at Florida: You aren't wearing red and black anymore, you're allowed to win the game in Jacksonville.  That makes TWO foul-ups there.

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss: It is time to get off this winless list.  1-7 UAB comes to town.  UAB's lone win was against SE Louisiana.
-UMass: In their first year as an FBS member UMass has six blowout losses, one close loss and one 11-point loss.  Today the Minutemen face off against 8-1 Northern Illinois.  This would be one really large upset for UMass to win, not seeing it happen.

Top 25
1 Notre Dame
2 Alabama
3 Kansas State
4 Oregon
5 Ohio State
6 Louisville
7 Mississippi State
8 Clemson
8 Rutgers
8 Florida
8 LSU
8 Oklahoma
13 Georgia
13 Louisiana Tech
13 Cincinnati
16 Florida State
16 Tulsa
16 Toledo
16 Texas Tech
16 West Virginia
16 Nebraska
16 South Carolina
16 Texas A&M
24 Ohio
24 Northern Illinois
24 Boise State
24 Oregon State
24 Michigan

Once again I don't feel like calculating tie-breakers.  Either way, Strength of Schedule matters at the top.  With the win at Oklahoma, Notre Dame SoS went up rather well.  Alabama gets a boost tonight if they win.  Kansas State will keep moving up with the strength of the Big 12.  Oregon has a tough game against USC.

The picks:
-Michigan at Minnesota: The Little Brown Jug is up for grabs again.  Michigan is 20-1 in the past 21 games against Minnesota.  Nothing changes today.  Michigan by 10.
-Texas A&M at Mississippi State: Of the two newcomers to the SEC I had bigger expectations for Missouri than Texas A&M.  I've been proven wrong.  Mississippi State has been strong against a weak schedule.  The SEC West hasn't been as good as everyone thought with Auburn and Arkansas having collapses.  This will be for third place in the division behind LSU and Alabama and will be a fine game to watch.  I think Mississippi State pulls this off at home though.  MSU by 3.
-Air Force at Army: Army is having a miserable year.
-Georgia Tech at Maryland: Maryland is out of quarterbacks.  The Terrapins are starting a linebacker at the QB spot this week.  Last year Maryland nearly pulled the upset in Atlanta.  Maryland does have a good run defense and GT's defense has been non-existent in most games.  Look for Maryland to win in a low scoring affair.  Maryland by 3.
-TCU at West Virginia: TCU has taken a couple of hits in their inaugural Big 12 season.  West Virginia has as well.  TCU's defense has been exposed a bit this year, West Virginia never had one.  TCU will score a bit this week but it won't be enough to overcome WVU after a bye week.  WVU by 7.
-Ole Miss at Georgia: The Dawgs generally play to their opponent's level which is a bad thing.  Ole Miss has had a good season compared to the last two but doesn't quite have it in them to win in Athens yet unless UGA forgets to show up after the big win in Jacksonville last week.  I don't think that will happen.  UGA by 10.
-Nebraska at Michigan State: Michigan State has the defense to win this while Nebraska doesn't play well on the road.  It should be time to turn that around for the Cornhuskers, but I don't see it happening.  Michigan State by 4.
-Texas at Texas Tech: In looking at these two teams this is a pretty even matchup.  The biggest difference between them is that Tech has beaten ranked teams, 2 wins in four tries.  Texas is 0-2.  Both are ranked of course.  With the game being in Lubbock, that will be enough.  Texas Tech wins by 7.
-Oregon at USC: The loss the Ducks had last year at home to USC had to hurt.  The Ducks had been building up from an opening loss to LSU and had sights on a rematch but USC stopped them cold.  It happens, and that was last year.  USC comes in reeling after a loss on the road to Arizona, Oregon just keeps moving right along.  Unless the Colorado curse comes in, Oregon wins this well.  Oregon by 10.
-Clemson at Duke: Historically Clemson has had issues winning at Duke.  Despite the Blue Devils not being that good it can be difficult due to the lack of atmosphere at the stadium.  Duke is much better this year than previous years, but so is Clemson.  Clemson by 10.
-Alabama at LSU: For the third time in a year these two teams meet.  Last year both teams were undefeated at this point, this year LSU has the loss to Florida to add in.  That's it.  Outside of that these two teams have not lost to anyone else.  A night game at LSU usually spells defeat for the visitor but I don't see it.  This will be a good one on the field, but low scoring.  Alabama by 4.
-Oklahoma State at Kansas State: Quick question: How many players on the Kansas State team have beaten Oklahoma State?  The answer is ZERO.  Kansas State is playing well out of this world.  Oklahoma State isn't bad though!  Most people are looking at Kansas State's pass defense as a weakness.  I don't see this as such given how that team went into Morgantown, West Virginia and kept the Mountaineers to 155 yards passing.  Kansas State will be fine at that.  Oklahoma State will score a bit but won't be enough.  Kansas State by 14.

2012 College Football Week 9!

2012 College Football Week 9

Commentary: This weekend will separate the pretenders from the contenders.  With four matchups between top fifteen teams we will see who the true contenders for the BCS National Championship are.

For Oklahoma its time to get back in the national spotlight.  Kansas State may be undefeated but we saw how quickly that died down the last time they were unbeated this late in the season (1998).
For Notre Dame its time to show that the Irish really are back.  Brian Kelly has them winning in his third season and doing it well.
For Florida its time to build swagger.
For Georgia its time to shake the demons that haunt the team in Jacksonville every year.
For Alabama its time to merely maintain the top status.
For Mississippi State its time to show how far the program has come under Dan Mullen.

Cheering for:
-Florida: It is revenge time.  Please get revenge on UGA from last year.

Laughing at:
-Cincinnati: Going on the road to play a team with only one loss means you shouldn't be overlooking that team.  Cincinnati did and lost on the road to Toledo with the game this week against undefeated Louisville.

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss and UMass: both are still winless.  Southern Miss plays at 2-6 Rice, UMass plays at 3-4 Vanderbilt.  Both are chances to win but not much of them.

Top 25
1 Florida
2 Notre Dame
3 Oregon
4 Oregon State
5 Kansas State
6 Alabama
7 Ohio State
8 Rutgers
9 Mississippi State
10 Louisville
11 Ohio
12 LSU
13 Oklahoma
14 Texas Tech
15 Cincinnati
16 Clemson
17 Michigan
18 Louisiana Tech
18 Georgia
18 USC
18 Florida State
18 West Virginia
18 South Carolina
18 Texas A&M
25 Northern Illinois
25 Toledo
25 Tulsa
25 Nebraska
25 Wisconsin
25 Western Kentucky

Yeah, using my points system there was a massive jam at #18 and #25.  I didn't feel like overloading my brain to figure out who was really ranked the highest in that.  Keep winning and it will settle itself out.


The picks:
-Clemson at Wake Forest: Wake Forest has been a thorn in Clemson's side for some time.  Between 2003 and 2008 the teams split six games.  Clemson has won the past three, last year the Tigers won it on a late field goal to clench the Atlantic Division of the ACC.  Overall the teams are in similar positions like last year, Clemson should come out on top tonight.  Clemson by 7.
-Tennessee at South Carolina: Tennessee desperately needs this win.  Derek Dooley has not faired well against top 25 teams during his tenure with the Vols.  South Carolina is coming off two straight losses and won't overlook anyone the rest of the way.  South Carolina by 10.
-NC State at North Carolina: Usually this game would indicate who controls the state of North Carolina but UNC has already lost to Wake Forest and Duke this year.  NC State has won 5 in a row over the Tar Heels and that won't stop this year either.  NC State by 10.
-USC at Arizona: USC may be a one loss team but they've not played that well over the course of the season.  Blowing out Colorado isn't an accomplishment this year.  This is also a big trap game for the Trojans with Oregon coming to LA next week.  With all that said, Arizona isn't a bad team at all but doesn't have the horses to keep up yet.  Maybe next year.  USC by 4.
-Duke at Florida State: It is week 9 and the two leaders of the ACC divisions are FSU and DUKE?  I certainly didn't see this coming at the start of the season.  FSU will bring Duke down a level or three.  This may be the best Blue Devils team in a long time, but not good enough to win in Tallahassee.  FSU by 20.
-Florida vs Georgia in Jacksonville, FL: The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is on.  Florida comes into this game ranked #2 in the BCS, Georgia comes in #10.  The last time both teams came in this highly  ranked (or close enough) was 2008.  Dawg fans don't want to remember that game.  UGA hasn't beaten Florida enough lately to count statistics, and that won't change here.  Florida by 10.
-Kent State at Rutgers: You may wonder why this game is here.  Between the two teams there is one loss (Kent State lost earlier in the season to Kentucky).  Rutgers hasn't done anything flashy except win seven games.  Kent State had one big name opponent and lost.  That will be the difference here too, Rutgers wins by 20.
-TCU at Oklahoma State: With Texas faltering a bit Oklahoma State is still alive for the Big 12 title.  TCU comes in after an overtime loss to Texas Tech that may be tough to recover from.  Oklahoma State hasn't lit up teams like they did last year, but they're still winning.  If this game were in Fort Worth I might give TCU a chance, but it isn't.  Oklahoma State wins by 3.
-Texas Tech at Kansas State: Texas Tech has been quite the surprise this year, shutting down West Virginia two weeks ago and winning on the road against TCU last week. Kansas State did the same against West Virginia, but did it in Morgantown.  Tech's one loss was to Oklahoma at home, Kansas State won in Norman.  This should be a fun game to watch, but Kansas State will win.  KSU by 7.
-Ohio State at Penn State: Currently these two teams sit on top of the Big Ten's Leader's division, and neither are eligible for the postseason.  Penn State shook off the horrible start to win five straight, Ohio State simply wins.  Urban Meyer's teams rarely lose to rivals, and this is a good one.  Ohio State by 10.
-Michigan at Nebraska: Last year Michigan beat up Nebraska in Ann Arbor.  Nebraska would certainly like to return the favor.  Michigan doesn't always win pretty, but wins are wins.  So far you have to be undefeated to beat the Wolverines and Nebraska isn't.  Michigan by 3.
-Notre Dame at Oklahoma: Defense wins championships.  Both teams have a pretty good defense.  Oklahoma's offense is a little better, so this game goes to the Sooners.  Oklahoma by 4.
-Mississippi State at Alabama: I have to hand it to Mississippi State.  They've overcome a few obstacles this year to reach this point in the season undefeated.  Prior to this year, under Dan Mullen, Mississippi State hadn't beaten any team in the SEC West that wasn't Ole Miss.  Beating Auburn convincingly changed that.  This isn't Auburn they're playing this week.  This is Alabama.  This won't be pretty.  Alabama comes in playing much better football.  Alabama wins this by 17.

2012 College Football Week 8!

Commentary:
-Half the season is over and some teams may have mailed it in already.  Quite a few probably should but others not so much.  UGA is one of those.  The dawgs' fate isn't in their own hands at the moment but it could be tonight if Florida beats South Carolina.
-The ACC is a virtual dumpster fire yet again.  Out of the national championship picture already, unless FSU can keep it rolling and not get upset again, and even then that's going to require some other teams ahead to lose a couple of times.
-The Big East has three undefeated teams in it, but hasn't made much noise yet.  It will matter more later in the season.
-The Big Ten is certainly taking a hit in the Leaders division with Ohio State and Penn State at the top.  Both teams are unable to go to the postseason this year thanks to being in trouble with the NCAA.
-Kansas State sits atop the Big 12, but for how long?  That conference has a lot of depth this year.
-Notre Dame survives Stanford on a goal line stand that some will talk about for some time.  At this point a win is a win.
-Most pundits expected Oregon and USC to be at the top of the PAC12 divisions, but few expected Oregon State.  The second half of the season out west will be fun to watch.
-Mississippi State may be undefeated in the SEC, which is nothing to laugh at, but the schedule has been kind so far.  The dogs couldn't have expected Auburn and Tennessee to suck out loud but the non-conference slate was weak.  It will get harder the rest of the way.


Cheering For:
-Ohio!  Still undefeated in the MAC and very well may run the table.

Laughing at:
-west Virginia: Why?  well that was embarrasing for the Mountaineers.  They looked completely lost against Texas Tech last week.
-Colorado: If you though the first half of the season was bad, wait for the second half.

Feeling sorry for:
-Tulane won against SMU last week so we're down to three winless teams: UMass, Southern Miss and Eastern Michigan.

Top 25
1 Notre Dame
2 Florida
3 Oregon State
4 Alabama
5 Oregon
6 Ohio State
7 Kansas State
8 Cincinnati
9 Rutgers
10 Mississippi State
11 Ohio
12 Louisville
13 LSU
13 Texas A&M
15 Western Kentucky
16 Oklahoma
17 Louisiana Tech
17 South Carolina
19 Texas Tech
20 Georgia
21 West Virginia
22 Clemson
23 USC
24 Florida
25 TCU
25 Northwestern
25 Tulsa
25 Northern Illinois


The picks:
-Virginia Tech at Clemson: Last year Clemson surprised me twice beating the Hokies in Blacksburg and Charlotte.  Virginia Tech hasn't looked good all year, the Hokies were down 20 to Duke in the first quarter last week before turning it on and throttling the Blue Devils after the first quarter ended.  Clemson hasn't had an off week yet on the field, is it time?  I see a big win here for the Tigers.  clemson by 10.
-LSU at Texas A&M: LSU showed last week that they aren't out of the picture yet.  Coming back and beating a good South Carolina team in Death Valley showed that the loss to Florida may just be that Florida is a damn fine team.  Texas A&M is no pushover and while the game is at Kyle Field, I don't think LSU will have too many issues here.  LSU by 7.
-Stanford at Cal: This is the earliest in the season that these two schools have faced each other, and the loser won't have much left to play for.  Cal is slipping and slipping badly.  Stanford will come out firing after last week's lost to Notre Dame.  Stanford wins by 10.
-South Carolina at Florida: It has been announced that Marcus Lattimore will not start for the Gamecocks, but will play throughout the game.  South Carolina has not looked good on the road at all this year, Florida has been incredibly tough at home.  If the game were in Columbia this would be a win for the Gamecocks.  It isn't and it won't be.  Florida by 7.
-Nebraska at Northwestern: The last time Nebraska visited Northwestern the Great Depression was on.  While the economy isn't exactly doing well these days I think its a bit better.  Northwestern won that game in 1931.  Northwestern won last year too in Lincoln.  I don't think that holds true today though.  Nebraska by 3.
-BYU at Notre Dame: Notre Dame comes in after a tough win against Stanford last week that came down to a goal line stand in overtime.  The Irish may be drained a bit but I don't think it will matter.  BYU isn't good on the road.  Notre Dame by 10.
-Michigan State at Michigan: Both teams have had disappointing seasons so far.  Both got shutdown by Notre Dame, Michigan got beat bad by Alabama, Michigan State had two close losses to Ohio State and Iowa.  Both need a big rebound.  Michigan is still undefeated in Big Ten play but I think that ends now.  Michigan State has won four in a row and it continues until proven otherwise.  Michigan State by 3.
-North Carolina at Duke: Both teams come into this game with a winning record, which I think is a first in a very long time.  North Carolina is coming off a big win on the road against Miami, Duke is coming off a loss to Virginia Tech.  North Carolina has owned the series as of late and I don't pick against streaks.  UNC by 14.
-Kansas State at West Virginia: West Virginia was absolutely shut down last week against Texas Tech and is hoping for a big rebound.  The team didn't forget how to pass but Texas Tech figured out how to stop them.  Overall Kansas State has a stout defense but the numbers don't show a good pass defense.  It will be put to the test today.  Kansas State finds ways to win games like this though.  K-State by 10.
-Alabama at Tennessee: Alabama has been unstoppable.  Tennessee can't stop anybody.  On paper this looks like an easy win.  Games aren't played on paper, they're played on a field.  Tennessee will surprise some with some passing offense, something Alabama hasn't seen much of yet.  It won't be enough though.  Alabama will score with ease and win by 14.
-Baylor at Texas: Between 1998 and 2009 Texas won twelve in a row in this series.  Baylor has won the past two though!  Texas comes in after an embarrasing loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl last week.  A hangover will mean two in a row for the Longhorns as Baylor will light them up.  Will that happen?  I believe so.  Baylor by 10.
-Florida State at Miami: some say this rivalry has lost some luster.  Okay it isn't as big nationally as it used to be, but don't tell the players that.  Jimbo Fisher's FSU teams haven't lost to Miami yet, and I don't see that changing.  FSU comes in after shelling Boston College, Miami comes in with two straight losses to Notre Dame and North Carolina.  FSU wins this one by 4.

2012 College Football Week 7!

2012 College Football Week 7!

We're getting close to that halfway point of the season and I finally have a weekend with no plans to interfere.  I'm sure I just jinxed myself saying that though.

Cheering for:
-Duke: Maybe Cutcliffe has finally got it turned around.  Duke, yes Duke is 5-1 with winnable games left.  The loss was to Stanford!
-Ohio: Frank Solich has the Bobcats undefeated in Week 7 and all of the rest of the games are winnable too.

Laughing at:
-Georgia: I don't get to do this often, so I'll take my chance when I can.  I admit I didn't get to watch the game live last week, glad I didn't as I may have died laughing.  Totally unprepared for South Carolina.  This marks the first time that the Gamecocks have beaten UGA three years in a row.  Steve Spurrier took some time, but has UGA spooked again.  It's official, Georgia just can't handle him.

Feeling sorry for:
-We're down to four winless teams: Southern Miss, Tulane, UMass and Eastern Michigan.  Despite all four teams being in two conferences none are set to play each other.  We will cross our fingers for them anyway.

Top 25:
1) West Virginia
2) Notre Dame
3) Florida
4) Oregon State
5) Oregon
6) Ohio State
6) Alabama
8) Cincinnati
9) Kansas State
10) South Carolina
11) Rutgers
12) Ohio
12) Mississippi State
12) Louisiana Tech
15) Louisville
16) UTSA
17) Texas
17) Baylor
19) Texas A&M
19) LSU
21) Western Kentucky
22) Oklahoma
23) Georgia
24) Texas Tech
25) Iowa State

I think I have the last few right, math is being hard tonight.

The picks:
-Kansas State at Iowa State: Kansas State has been on a roll, but Iowa State is no pushover.  Last year the Cyclones pulled the upset of Oklahoma State at home, the Cowboys' only loss on the year.  Can they do it again?  I doubt it.  Kansas State by 10.
-Northwestern at Minnesota: Both teams suffered their first loss of the season in their respective last games.  Two weeks ago Iowa jumped out to a big lead against Minnesota and won, last week Penn State rallied past Northwestern.  Northwestern appears to be a better team but the game is on the road for them against a rested Golden Gopher team.  Minnesota wins by 3.
-Texas vs Oklahoma in Dallas, TX: Both teams enter this game with a conference loss, loser is pretty much out of the Big 12 race.  Texas has an offense and no defense, Oklahoma has a defense but a decent offense as well. The more balanced Sooners will win this game.  Oklahoma by 4.
-Duke at Virginia Tech: Duke comes into this game with the better record.  Who would have thought that at the start of the season?  I sure didn't.  While the 5-1 start is nice for Duke, the schedule really picks up between here and the end of the year.  Since joining the ACC in 2004 Virginia Tech has had a few close calls against Duke but never lost.  The trend continues despite the Hokies poor start to the season.  VT by 10.
-North Carolina at Miami: While North Carolina is ineligible for the postseason (including the ACC Championship game) this game may very well decide who wins the Coastal division.  Both are playing well in conference.  Miami has two out of conference losses (ugly ones too to Kansas State and Notre Dame).  North Carolina is coming off of a beatdown victory against Virginia Tech.  In true ACC fashion, Miami will win this and look good in the conference but poor out of conference.  Miami by 10.
-Stanford at Notre Dame: Conventional wisdom (well, if you call the talking heads at ESPN wise) says that Notre Dame will have no issues here.  I'm not quite so sure.  This game will tell us a lot about Stanford.  The one road game the Cardinal had was an ugly loss at Washington, this is road game number two.  Notre Dame is built well for this and is playing well to boot.  Stanford will not make this easy, but Notre Dame will win this by 3.
-Oregon State at BYU: Oregon State goes on the road to face a BYU team that at times has struggled to score. While I don't think the Beavers will run away with this one, they will win.  Oregon State by 4.
-West Virginia at Texas Tech: If you like offense tune in to this one.  West Virginia has lit up everyone they've played so far.  Texas Tech doesn't look to have enough on defense to slow them down.  I wouldn't count out the Red Raiders though, Tommy Tuberville knows how to beat top teams (ask Oklahoma).  That would be a huge upset though, and I don't quite see that happening.  West Virginia by 10.
-TCU at Baylor: TCU got a rude awakening last week in a road loss to Iowa State.  Baylor had the week off after getting 70 hung on them by West virginia two weeks ago.  This doesn't look like a standard TCU defense, while Baylor may be missing RG3, they've not slowed down much in his absense.  Baylor wins this one by 7.
-USC at Washington: Washington has had a tough start to the season, playing three top ten teams but winning against one (Stanford).  USC has only played one top 25 team and lost (Stanford again).  USC shouldn't have issues here, but look for a close game.  USC by 1.
-South Carolina at LSU: When is the last time you thought South Carolina could go to Baton Rouge and come out with a victory?  The chance is there this time.  LSU comes in with a host of offensive issues but the defense is solid.  South Carolina comes in knowing they're great on defense but can the offense hold up against LSU's line?  I'm going with LSU here as it is a night game in Baton Rouge.  LSU by 3.
-Texas A&M at Louisiana Tech: Whoever set up Texas A&M's schedule this year should get a dressing down.  Six road games including non-conference games at SMU and Louisiana Tech.  A&M had the tough week 2 loss against Florida but has rolled up wins ever since. Louisiana Tech hasn't lost at all.  Tech has a good offense and will score but doesn't have enough defense to slow down A&M to win it.  Texas A&M wins by 8.

2012 College Football Week 6!

After last week, I can't stomach anymore Georgia Tech football.  Two bad losses in a row and I'm done.

Cheering for:
Ohio: Frank Solich, after getting run out of Nebraska for not being good enough, has turned around Ohio to the point where they are undefeated in week 6 and the win over Penn State is looking better and better.
Kansas State: I know they're supposed to be a big name program again, maybe this is just for Bill Snyder and his uncanny ability to win and win and win.
Northwestern: 5-0 again for a school that really shouldn't be competing given the talent level and resources.

Laughing at:
Georgia Tech: yes, my own alma matter.  Coach Paul Johnson has a lot of explaining to do.  49 points to Middle Tennessee State?  Two straight home losses (first since the 80s).  A loss to a Sun Belt school?  Come on...

Feeling sorry for:
Army: They lost to FCS member Stony Brook last week, but I just cannot put them in a "laughing at" for that.

Top 25:
1) Oregon State
2) Kansas State
3) Cincinnati
4) Texas Tech
4) West Virginia
6) Florida State
6) Notre Dame
8) Oregon
9) Florida
10) Alabama
11) Texas
12) Georgia
12) Ohio State
14) Mississippi State
15) South Carolina
16) Northwestern
17) TCU
17) Louisiana Tech
17) LSU
20) Ohio
21) Louisville
22) Rutgers
23) UTSA
24) UCLA
25) Miami
25) Oklahoma

Oregon State still has the best Strength of Schedule among the unbeatens, hence #1.  The best one loss team is UCLA who lost to #1 Oregon State as their only loss.  Miami and Oklahoma both lost to #2 Kansas State, hence the tie at 25. For the record Iowa State and Baylor come in next, losing to co-#4 Texas Tech and West Virginia.  That's how it works folks.

The picks:
-USC at Utah: As I'm writing this the game is decidely in Utah's favor, but I'm still going with my original pick of USC.  By the time I'm done writing this we should know whether I made the right choice. USC by 10.
-The United States Naval Academy at The United States Air Force Academy: Navy comes in playing rather poorly this year, Air Force is only somewhat better.  Air Force by 10.
-Northwestern at Penn State: Penn State has had a nice little turnaround after a horrible start to the season, but Northwestern has been playing really well all along.  This will be a fun one to watch.  Northwestern by 3.
-Virginia at Duke: It is hard to believe that Duke is 4-1.  Well the schedule has been rather easy minus the road game at Stanford, but this is Duke we're talking about.  Duke snapped a twelve game losing streak to Wake Forest last week, UVA isn't that good even.  Duke by 7.
-LSU at Florida: Alright Florida and Will Muschamp, you want to prove you're back?  You want to prove that last year was an abberation?  You want to be discussed well into October?  Win this one.  LSU hasn't played well as of late and could have some weaknesses in the Les Miles armor.  Doubt LSU and the hat?  Nah, not me.  LSU by 10.
-Georgia Tech at Clemson: Take notice Clemson.  You've been Georgia Tech's bitch for as long as I've followed college football.  There's no excuse for this.  It is time to take it back and keep it that way.  Dabo has done well as a head coach.  Georgia Tech comes in reeling after two really bad losses.  The same could be said last year too, and GT won the game handily.  Clemson, it is time to take control.  Clemson wins by 14.
-Oklahoma at Texas Tech: Oklahoma has not won in Lubbock since 2003 (losses in 2005, 2007 and 2009).  Texas Tech is good, better than I gave them credit for, especially last week when I predicted them to lose at Iowa State.  Texas Tech won last year in Norman.  I just don't see it here.  Oklahoma got the one upset loss out of the way.  Oklahoma by 10.
-West Virginia at Texas: There's a good test for the Texas defense, slow down Geno Smith and the West Virginia offense enough to win this one.  West Virginia has lit everyone up so far, but hasn't faced a defense with a pulse.  The West Virginia defense is quite vulnerable.  Texas slows them down enough and wins by 7.
-UGA at South Carolina: Both undefeated, both meeting later in the season than before, and this is a big showdown in Columbia.  UGA has been scoring at will on good opponents and bad ones.  South Carolina is good, but not that good.  UGA by 8.
-Miami vs Notre Dame in Chicago: It is a crying shame that these teams have met only once in the past twenty years.  Notre Dame beat Miami in the Sun Bowl following the 2010 season.  This matchup should happen a lot more often.  Miami is flying high this year with some big victories and one ugly loss on the road.  Notre Dame is undefeated.  Miami's offense has been on fire, the defense has been suspect.  Notre Dame has had a tough as nails defense that'll slow down Miami enough to win.  Notre Dame by 7.
-Nebraska at Ohio State: These two teams are actually really good, and this should be a fun game to watch if you like slobberknocking defenses.  Nebraska has won all its home games, Ohio State has won on the road.  Ohio State by 3.
-Washington at Oregon: This is Oregon's last test until a trip to USC on November 3.  Washington is in the middle of a three game murderous stretch.  A win over Stanford last week kicked it off.  Next week is USC.  This is the only road game in it, and Oregon is no fun place for visitors.  Oregon by 14.

2012 College Football Week 5!

Administrative note: the move last week about killed me, no time to post.  That should be it for this year.  A trip next weekend shouldn't derail me.

Notes: Wow what a fall for Arkansas.  Never would have imagined one coach making such a huge difference.  Then again we had zero expectations for John L. Smith and he's failed to live up to those.  Ouch.

Cheering for:
-Oregon State: While they've only played two games, both were upsets.  The two teams they've beat haven't lost any other game, so it gives Oregon State a perfect strength of schedule in my system.  Go Beavers!

Laughing at:
-Colorado: you only get sort of a reprieve for the comeback, one-point win against Washington State.  The school is already circling the wagons around coach Jon Embree.  I don't expect he'll remain there after this year.
-John L Smith: did you seriously refer to your school as Alabama?  Dreaming much?

Feeling sorry for:
-Georgia State's players: it really seems like the coaches have already mailed it in this year.

Top 25:
1) Oregon State
2) Florida State
3) Iowa State
4) Notre Dame
5) Oregon
6) Cincinnati
6) Kansas State
6) Texas
6) Texas Tech
6) West Virginia
11) Florida
12) Alabama
13) Ohio
14) Baylor
14) Ohio State
14) TCU
17) Georgia
17) South Carolina
19) Minnesota
19) Mississippi State
21) LSU
22) Louisville
23) Louisiana Tech
23) Rutgers
23) Northwestern

We have 26 undefeated teams, so all of the top 25 have zero losses.  This means that this is pretty much sorted by strength of schedule, with games between two FCS members discounted.  The lone undefeated not here?  UTSA.  The Roadrunners are undefeated in their transitional year to FBS but there are two games against division II opponents!  I don't even know how to count that.

The picks:

-Baylor at West Virginia: Welcome to the Big 12 West Virginia, your first game will give your defensive coordinator nightmares.  Then again this may be a "first to 50 points wins" kind of games.  Should be fun to watch, and while I can appreciate a good Baylor team it won't be able to keep up with the Mountaineers.  WVU by 10.
-NC State at Miami: Alright Miami...  Nice win last week.  If you're truly "back" you won't blow this one.  NC State is good, not great.  Miami is good looking to be great.  Miami would be just outside of the top 25 for me, losing only to undefeated Kansas State.  NC State would be a little further out, losing to one-loss Tennessee.  Miami should win this at home, Miami by 4.
-Duke at Wake Forest: Hard to believe that both teams are 3-1 here.  Duke has been playing well outside a blowout loss to Stanford.  Wake has played well outside of a blowout loss to Florida State.  Duke hasn't beaten Wake since 1999 though, while the last few have been close.  Wake wins here by 7.
-Tennessee at Georgia: Tennessee needs a big win badly, they've not had one against a Top 10 opponent in quite some time, last win against a top 25 was in 2009.  Dooley hasn't fared well against UGA either.  I don't see any reason that Tennessee could pull the upset.  UGA by 14.
-Clemson at Boston College: This will be a good test for Clemson.  Boston College isn't that good but has had Clemson's number in quite a few games between them, as well as coming off a loss last week in a prime time game at Tallahassee.  On paper this won't be close, but games aren't played on paper they're played on a field.  Clemson wins, but it is close, by 3.
-Ohio State at Michigan State: Michigan State won last year at Ohio State, but a lot has changed since then. Ohio State won the previous seven meetings before last year, and while there's been a coaching change since then I don't see this changing much.  Ohio State by 4.
-Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati in Landover, Maryland: If you go by transitive properties, this will be an ugly blowout (VT lost to Pitt, Cincinnati blew out Pitt).  I don't see that happening, but VT is in trouble.  Cincinnati has enough push up front to give VT problems, and that may be enough.  Cincinnati by 10.
-Texas Tech at Iowa State: Both teams are undefeated, though both teams have played one BCS AQ team between them (Iowa State over Iowa).  I don't see much from the Red Raiders to believe that they can go on the road and win this one, so it'll be the Cyclones by 7.
-Texas at Oklahoma State: This will be a statement game for both teams, it will tell a lot for the remainder of the season.  Texas wants to prove that the last two seasons were aberrations, and Oklahoma State wants to prove that the train will keep on rolling even with new quarterbacks.  Texas' defense is the difference here and will lead the Longhorns to a win.  Texas by 4.
-Wisconsin at Nebraska: Last year Nebraska was welcomed to the Big Ten last year by Wisconsin in a 48-17 blowout.  I expect revenge this year as Wisconsin is struggling to score on offense.  Nebraska is doing a bit better on both sides of the ball and should win at home. Nebraska by 10.
-Ole Miss at Alabama: Ole Miss has looked better this year so far than last year under new coach Hugh Freeze, but this is a whole other animal to deal with.  Alabama should be able to shut down the Rebels without too many issues and score enough to make it look easy.  Alabama by 20.
-Oregon State at Arizona: Arizona got embarrassed last week against Oregon after starting strong under new head coach Rich Rodriguez.  Oregon State has had a good start so far with two wins against ranked opponents.  This will show where both programs really are and the more experienced coaching staff here will be the difference.  Oregon State by 10.

College Football 2012 Week 3!

2012 College Football Week 3!

Programming note: Sorry about last week.  I had a great post forming, but due to time constraints and the lack of an internet connection it did not get done at all.  My apologies.

Commentary: We're starting to see things shape out for an interesting season.  Some teams are definitely moving on up while others are falling fast and need to get it in gear.  Last week's Auburn at Mississippi State game showed how each program is doing.  Auburn is falling fast with an 0-2 start while Mississippi State is moving up with a 2-0 record and a victory over a division team (first for head coach Dan Mullen against his division except for Ole Miss).

Cheering for:

-Old Man Football: hey it works and works well it appears.

Laughing at: We've had a slew of FCS over FBS upsets since this season started that I've not mentioned, so here we go:

-Memphis: for losing to Tennessee... Martin.  

-Middle Tennessee: for losing to McNeese State.

-Colorado State: for losing to North Dakota State after beating in-state rival Colorado.  To be fair, ND State is one of the best FCS teams, won the NCAA championship in it last year.

-Colorado: for losing to Sacramento State after losing to in-state rival Colorado State.

-UNLV: for losing to Northern Arizona.

-Idaho: for losing to Eastern Washington

-Pitt: for losing to Youngstown State.  Try not to blow it to Gardner-Webb in two weeks.

-Eastern Michigan: For losing to Illinois State.

Remember folks, these are schools who get 85 scholarship players losing to schools with 63 scholarship players.  The deck is stacked in the FBS schools' favor.

Laughing at Honorary Mentions:

-Houston: for losing to Texas State, who is in their first year at the FBS level.

-Arkansas: for being ranked #8 in the nation and lose to Louisiana-Monroe.  You can talk injuries all you want but you blew a lead against a lesser opponent.

Feeling sorry for:

-Penn State's kicker: you know it has to be rough on him.  Make one of the missed FGs (there were four missed ones) or the XP and that game goes completely differently.

Top 25: none this week, still too damned early.

The picks:

-Wake Forest at Florida State: Alright FSU, here's the deal.  You've lost four of the last six against Wake Forest.  You are highly ranked.  The game is at home.  Lose this one and you might as well pack your bags for the Big 12.  If you're going to lose at least be a b*tch to Texas instead of Wake Forest.  FSU by 10.

-Cal at Ohio State: Cal has not made any noise on the national scene in quite some time.  Jeff Tedford is still coaching there.  I get the feeling if Ohio State runs away with this it will signal the end of his coaching tenure there, or at least lead to his "retirement" at the end of the year.  Ohio State is playing rather well so far.  Cal lost to Nevada to open the season but beat up on FCS member Southern Utah last week.  The signs point to a big Ohio State victory here.  OSU by 21.

-Virginia Tech at Pitt: Pitt fans are going to hope that this isn't a preview of life in the ACC.  Pitt has been horrible so far, VT has at least been decent.  VT by 20.

-Alabama at Arkansas: After last week, Arkansas is reeling.  Starting QB Tyler Wilson is out for the game.  Alabama is rolling.  This one may be over quickly.  Alabama by 24.

-Virginia at Georgia Tech: Alright Georgia Tech, here's the deal: UVA isn't that good.  The game is in Atlanta.  You lost to them last year in Charlottesville.  Get it right this time.  GT by 10.

-Florida at Tennessee: It's about time this game is relevant again.  Florida has won the past seven in a row.  Tennessee hasn't had a good year since 2007.  Both are 2-0 and looking for an SEC East title.  GameDay will be there, should be a fun one.  Never mess with a streak until proven otherwise.  Florida by 3.

-Arizona State at Missouri: Arizona State has been playing well under new head coach Todd Graham.  Missouri could come in with a massive hangover after getting beat up against UGA.  Arizona State will surprise here.  ASU by 7.

-USC at Stanford: Jim Harbaugh is in San Francisco.  Andrew Luck is in Indianapolis.  Matt Barkley is 0-3 against Stanford.  This is his last chance.  USC by 10.

-Megaphone Trophy; Notre Dame at Michigan State: This is an interesting matchup in my opinion.  Both are undefeated coming into the game for the first time since 2005.  I still believe Michigan State is the better team and wins this game by 4.

-Texas at Ole Miss: Burnt Orange invades the Grove.  Ole Miss is playing well under new coach Hugh Freeze but it won't make a big difference here.  There are too many holes to fill on the roster to be that competitive.  Texas by 14.

-Holy War;BYU at Utah: I'm glad to see these two schools keep the rivalry going despite conference changes.  BYU comes in playing well while Utah is a rolling disaster at this point.  BYU keeps it going strong, wins by 10.

College Football 2012 Week 1!

Ah yeah, its that time of the year again.  It all kicks off tonight.  Baseball is now irrelevant, the NFL is still in "pretend" mode, basketball and hockey aren't going yet, and soccer is worthless in this part of the world.

The offseason was anything but boring this time around.  Oh sure, it's long and drawn out, but it has not been boring.  Between recruiting, Penn State and realignment we've had plenty to talk about.  Thank goodness we have actual games now.  I'm tired of the offseason.

Cheering for:
-Bill O'Brien: Bet you weren't expecting this situation.  Good luck, you'll need it.
-UTSA, Texas State, UMass, and South Alabama: welcome to the big leagues.  Good luck!

Feeling sorry for:
-The players at Penn State: There's no way you could have known this was coming.  While you did have a free ticket out of the school, you stuck together and are working on it.  As with the others, Good luck!

Laughing at:
-North Carolina: You can't hide your academic woes for forever.  The NCAA hammer should hit really hard soon.

I'm not doing a Top 25 yet.  Everybody is undefeated right now.

-South Carolina at Vanderbilt: Last year the Gamecocks played like total crap against Vandy, didn't score much, but it didn't matter.  Vandy got one field goal.  I expect there to be a little more scoring this year but most of it will be done by South Carolina.  USC by 20.
-Washington State at BYU: The return of the pirate, Mike Leach.  Washington State was horrible last year, which lead to the hiring of Leach.  BYU was actually rather good last year as an independent, and will be too touch for the Cougars.  BYU by 14.
-Tennessee vs NC State in Atlanta, GA: Tennessee had an absolute miserable season last year and cannot afford to start off this season that poorly.  NC State is picked to do well and could very well be a player in the ACC Atlantic division.  That being said this is ACC vs SEC and we know how that usually goes.  Tennessee by 3.
-Boise State at Michigan State: Boise State comes in ranked 24, and if they hadn't been so good lately wouldn't be that high.  Michigan State is a team that's quite tough at home, hasn't lost at home since 2009 (Penn State, or if you don't count that since the NCAA doesn't, Iowa earlier in 2009).  Boise State had a ton of talent graduate from last year's squad.  Sadly for the Broncos I see this being a bit of a repeat from when the Broncos visited Athens, GA in 2005.  UGA lit them up.  Michigan State will this time too.
-Notre Dame vs Navy in Dublin, Ireland: I don't know the appeal of playing this game on foreign soil so far from home.  I wonder what Notre Dame and Navy are going for here.  It isn't like Ireland is a great recruiting area.  Ah well, Notre Dame returns a ton of talent... if they weren't all suspended for the game.  Navy is Navy, plays hard and does what it can.  LAst year Notre Dame blew out Navy, unless the time zone change is that tough on the Irish, it'll do the same this year.  Notre Dame by 20.
-Friends of Coal Bowl; Marshall at West Virginia: Its an in-state rivalry game to kick off the season!  Marshall isn't that good, West Virginia is. This is the last of the series between them, or at least what was originally scheduled.  WVU hasn't lost to Marshall yet.  It ain't happening this year either.  WVU by 24.
-Southern Miss at Nebraska: It has been a few years, 8 to be exact since these two teams played each other.  Oddly enough Southern Miss won the last meeting.  There's a chance for the streak to hit two, but I don't see it happening.  Nebraska by 10.
-Clemson vs Auburn in Atlanta, GA: One thing we do know is that the Tigers are going to win.  Okay that's too easy.  Clemson comes in loaded, Auburn comes in wounded a bit.  Clemson came in loaded in 2008 against Alabama and got smoked.  Auburn won't quite do the same but will still win.  Auburn by 4.
-Florida International at Duke: FIU is a rising program from the Sun Belt, soon to be Conference USA.  Duke... still sucks.  When David Cutcliffe can't win consistently at a school, it usually is the school.  FIU wins by 3.
-Hawaii at USC: This game should be fun to watch, there will probably be close to 1000 yards of offense combined.  USC comes in ranked #1 in a few polls, will show off why.  USC by 14.
-Michigan vs Alabama in Arlington, TX: These two schools have never met on the field in the regular season.  This should be a treat.  Michigan with a nice offense and Alabama loaded still after a BCS Championship.  Alabama's defense will prove to be too much here.  Crimson Tide by 10.
-Governor's Cup; Kentucky at Louisville: This has been a pretty good rivalry between the two teams since they started playing regularly in 1994.  Since then Louisville leads 10-8.  Charlie Strong has Louisville up and coming, Kentucky is in a rut.  Louisville by 7.
-Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech: Well the ACC is sure getting this over with quickly.  Since the expansion of the conference and split into two divisions, this game has decided the Coastal division champion every year.  Virginia Tech has been stronger lately, Georgia Tech has a lot to prove.  I'd love to see my Yellow Jackets win, but I don't see it happening.  Sorry guys.  VT by 10.


*note: Yes I'm posting this late.  I wrote up most of it before the games kicked off on Thursday but did not finish.  My predictions of the South Carolina @ Vanderbilt game as well as the Washington State @ BYU have not been editted.

It's finally here! College Football 2012 Preview

It all starts again Thursday evening.  Looking forward to it.  The offseason is long, hot, and somewhat boring.  We scrap for every piece of information coming out of spring and summer camps, hoping to get a glimpse of something happening.  Throw it all out, the real season is here!

The offseasons lately have been less boring than most, thanks to conference realignment.  We've still gotten our share of drama outside of that, but the realignment talk really gets things going in a hurry.  Long recap:

-The Big 12 has lost two more members, Texas A&M and Missouri.  Both are in the SEC now.  Texas A&M is in the SEC West while Missouri moves to the SEC East.  While that's a bit of a stretch geographically, it keeps all the existing rivalries together and is quite understandable.
-The Big East has lost West Virginia.  WVU has moved to the Big 12.  There was a big lawsuit over this move, it was settled for $20 million.  WVU skips the lengthy 27 month requirement.
-The Mountain West conference has lost TCU.  TCU was originally supposed to be in the Big East this year, but backed out after an invite from the Big 12 came.
-The Western Athletic Conference has lost three members: Nevada, Hawaii and Fresno State.  All three schools are joining the Mountain West conference.
-The Mid American Conference has lost Temple.  Temple joins the Big East in all sports.
-There are four new members to the FBS rank.  UMass joins the MAC from the Colonial Athletic Association.  Independent South Alabama joins the Sun Belt Conference.  Independents Texas State and Texas-San Antonio join the WAC.  This brings us to 124 members of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

There are a lot of pending moves as well, most to come after this season.

These moves signal a big shift in college football.  It seems we are moving towards bigger conferences at the top, which is going to put a big squeeze on the smaller schools.  Those that have done well will continue to do well, those that have not will be hurting in my opinion.

We also saw a shift in the postseason format during the offseason.  While it will not be place for a couple of more years, we will have what amounts to a four-team playoff with a committee officially deciding the teams. The Big 12 and SEC conferences have agreed to send their champions to a big bowl that's owned jointly by the conferences.  The Big Ten and Pac 12 will still send their champions to the Rose Bowl.  The ACC will send its champion to the Orange Bowl against a to-be-determined opponent.  The conferences are going to own the TV rights to the bowl games, which is a massive shift in power here.  Potentially there's a lot of money to be made with this, we will have to see how it all plays out.

As for this year, nothing really has changed other than realignment.  The next few years will see more of it, I'm currently counting 18 schools changing conferences next year in the Bowl Subdivision.  But enough of that, lets get down to this season!

Where I am all college football starts with the SEC, and here is no exception!
-Alabama is set for another run.  So is LSU.  I don't see both of them making the BCS championship game again, not after last year.  The game in Baton Rouge will definitely decide that division.
-Arkansas won't survive long with John L. Smith as coach.  Likable guy, but Petrino was the reason Arkansas has been so good lately.  There's a reason that John L. Smith was fired from Michigan State, and it wasn't personal.  He just is not that good of a coach.  If Petrino was still coaching, I might have Arkansas winning the division.  But due to his own actions he is not.  Sorry Hogs.
-Something doesn't seem right at Auburn.  Both of the coordinators left in the offseason.  That spells trouble in most cases and this one is not an exception.  Offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn left to be a head coach at Arkansas State (for less money) and defensive coordinator Ted Roof left for Central Florida (initially) then Penn State.  While on the defensive side Brian VanGorder is a good replacement, the offensive side leaves questions with former Temple OC Scot Loeffler taking over.
-Ole Miss starts over again with former Arkansas State head coach Hugh Freeze at the helm.  He did well in his one season at Arkansas State, but Ole Miss will be a lot of work.
-Texas A&M comes in with a new head coach, for University of Houston coach Kevin Sumlin.  While that's a great hire, there's a lot of work to do just to compete in the SEC West.  I get the feeling there will be quite a few who miss the Big 12 after this season.
-Missouri is quite happy to be here, will be interesting to see how well they do.  There's a lot of starters returning including a good QB in James Franklin.  The conference opener is against UGA in week 2 at home,  the excitement is already there for it.
-Florida is still in rebuilding mode.  Last season was a complete wash in my opinion and there's a lot of work to be done.  A good defense returns and that will make a huge difference.
-South Carolina is set to be fighting for the SEC East title.  The schedule isn't favorable, but its still possible.
-UGA is loaded on defense and expects to be good on offense.  Troubles at the running back spot will hurt, and the offensive line is new and may not be ready in time for the game at Missouri.
-Tennessee is expected to be better but after last year that doesn't take much.  Dooley's seat is already warm.
-Vanderbilt is Vanderbilt, but they are not an easy win anymore.  Most teams will beat them, but it will take effort.

The ACC needs to do better this year.  The past few years have not looked good at all.
-FSU is expected to win the conference this year.  Most of the talking heads in the media think that FSU is back, this is their year, lots of returning starters, etc.  Those lazy people just don't get it.  FSU isn't coming back.  While they may have a good year, they won't win the division, much less the conference.
-Clemson is here to stay after winning the ACC last year.  While they won't play for a national title, the team will be good and at the top of the Atlantic division for awhile.
-Virginia Tech is the one consistency of the conference.  Consistently at the top but can't win a bowl game to save their turkey butt.  This year will probably be the same.
-Georgia Tech may surprise, but the opener will tell the most.  A big loss there and the team's season is practically over.  A close loss means more.  A win sets the team off on a good year.
-North Carolina is starting over, on probation, but expected to win a lot.  I don't see that happening.  Larry Fedora is a good coach, not a great one.  UNC needs a great one to win.
-NC State will be pushing for the Atlantic division title.  If they can play like they did against Clemson last year, this will be a good year.
-Duke and Wake Forest have uphill battles, as usual.
-Virginia will take a step back this year.  Last year was a nice run but they don't have what it takes to be there consistently, yet.
-Protip to Randy Edsall at Maryland: Ralph Friedgen was fired two seasons ago after going 2-10 one year, 9-4 the next.  You went 2-10 last year.  You should be thinking about ten wins this year or polishing up the resume.  With the roster you have, you'll be a lot closer to ten losses than ten wins this year.  Good luck.
-There are no Matt Ryan's on Boston College's roster this year.  We'll know pretty quickly how good BC is with Miami visiting in week one.
-Speaking of Miami, try not to blow the opening game against a bad team like you did last year.  You may need the win down the road.

The Big East conference needs a big year from its members to remain relevant.  Despite some success on the field the perception is that the Big East is not big at all.
-This is Syracuse's and Pitt's last year in the conference.  Both will depart for the ACC at the end of the academic year.  From what I can tell both are looking forward to it.  Both should be competitive in the conference and one very well may win it.
-Rutgers has lost long time coach Greg Schiano to the NFL, replaced by Offensive Line coach Kyle Flood.
-South Florida needs to bounce back after a disappointing 5-7 season.  Non-conference games against Florida State and Miami will go a long way to telling us how good the Bulls are.
-Louisville needs to take a step up with the departure of WVU.  Charlie Strong is building something good here.  The Cardinals need to avoid early season upsets like last year's losses to FIU and Marshall.
-Cincinnati may very well win this conference this year.
-The conference welcomes Temple back to the fold.  Temple was a football only member kicked out in 2004 for poor performance.  I can see a rivalry with UConn forming here.  UConn was brought in to replace them.

The Big Ten conference needs no introduction, but made a lot of news in the offseason in the wrong way.
-Enough has been said of the scandal at Penn State lately, no need to get into it here.  The results are what matters though.  Penn State will be ineligible for post-season play, has a lot fewer scholarship players, and lost a bunch of good players due to transfers.  Bill O'Brien has his work cut out for him, that's for sure.  The next few years will be tough.
-Ohio State is also ineligible for post-season play this year.  New head coach Urban Meyer will have them playing like they're fighting for a post-season birth though.
-Denard Robinson is back at Michigan for his senior season.  We will know quickly how good this Michigan team is as they play Alabama in Dallas, Texas for the opener.  The rest of the schedule doesn't get any easier.
-Wisconsin is set to return to the Big Ten Championship game.  Most of the difficult conference opponents are coming to Camp Randall stadium, and the rest are all winnable games.
-Michigan State also has a clear path for a rematch of last year's Big Ten Championship game.  A three game stretch in late october (@Michigan, @Wisconsin, vs. Nebraska) will determine their season.
-Iowa and Nebraska aren't out of it either, but have very loaded parts of the schedule that determine their seasons.

The Big 12 survives another year with ten teams, some of them very good.
-Oklahoma State lost a lot of starters off of last year's Big 12 Championship team.  While that may mean a step back, the Cowboys will still have a good year.
-Oklahoma is expected to rise up and win the conference again, but they had the same expectations last year and fell short.  Ranked in at #4 in preseason shows what most think, and I tend to agree.  With Mike Stoops returning to the defensive coordinator position we will see the return of a dominant Sooners' defense.
-Texas is still recovering a bit, should be better this year but not challenge for the Big 12 title.  With games at Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and Texas Tech, along with the annual game with Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl, this doesn't look promising for the Longhorns.
-Texas Tech bombed the latter half of last year after upsetting Oklahoma in Norman.  This year's schedule sets up similarly, but I'm guessing the Sooners' won't be surprised this time around. Tubberville may be fighting for his job by the end of the year.
-Baylor will come back down now that Robert Griffin III is gone.  It won't be easy to replace him.
-West Virginia and TCU enter the Big 12.  WVU is expected to compete for the title and very well may.  Head coach Dana Holgorsen is quite familiar with the conference after serving as Offensive Coordinator for both Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in the past decade.  I think WVU will be good but not at the top.  TCU will be middle of the pack at best.  The Big 12 won't be like the Mountain West at all.

The PAC 12 returns with several good teams at the top.
-USC is off of its post-season ban, and sitting at the top of the polls.  The talent on the team is great, and other than Utah there isn't much challenging for the PAC 12 South title.
-Utah came close to winning the division last year, and will be up there again this year.  USC visits Salt Lake this year.
-UCLA starts over with a new coach, Jim Mora Jr.  There will be plenty of rebuilding going on there.
-Arizona and Arizona State both have new coaches (Rich Rodriguez and Todd Graham respectively).  Both have high expectations down the road but this year will be in full rebuilding mode. I expect Arizona to do more than Arizona State.
-Colorado has to do better this year.  Last year was an utter disaster under first year coach Jon Embree.  Sadly I don't see any big reason to believe it will be better.
-Oregon is still the class of the PAC 12 North until someone else proves otherwise.  The Ducks are loaded again and look to win the division.
-Washington will have a tough year with no true home field (Husky Stadium is undergoing renovations).  With an entirely new defensive staff there will be troubles at the beginning.  An early season game at LSU will be ugly.  The rest of the way should be good though.
-Washington State made the news by hiring former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach.  The Cougars have had several bad seasons in a row now, as Paul Wulff could not get anything going in Pullman.  Leach will have troubles initially, but will eventually get it going.  This year will not be pretty.
-With Andrew Luck gone and most of the players left over from the Jim Harbaugh days it will be tough for Stanford to keep going like they had been.  Look for the wins to be tough to come by this year.  Bowl eligibility is not out of the question though!
-Whatever happened to Cal?  They've not made any noise in years now it seems.  Part of that may be the fact I'm an east-coast person, but I remember when Cal was highly ranked for quite some time.  Jeff Tedford still coaches there, so something has to be going right.
-Same goes for Oregon State.  The past couple of seasons have trended downwards for the Beavers.  Mike Riley might be on a rather warm seat this year.

The Mountain West Conference is going to struggle a bit.  Boise State won't be nearly as good this year, TCU is off to the Big 12, and realignment is going to take its toll.

The MAC is relatively stable, losing Temple but adding FBS rookie UMass.

Conference USA looks to keep things going this season.  Realignment will be huge on its membership next year.  Southern Miss and Houston, both of last year's division winners have new coaches.

The Sun Belt conference has been trying to move up a bit.  New teams are coming in this year and next, with a few losses.  League champion Arkansas State has a new head coach in former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.

The WAC... is going to die soon.  Realignment has already hit hard, and next year it will be worse.  Three teams left this year with two coming in.  This will leave the conference with seven teams this year.  Five teams will leave at the end of the season for other conferences, the other two (Idaho and New Mexico State) will be independent.  Oddly enough Idaho and New Mexico State finish in the bottom two spots in the conference last year.

So who is winning what?  Well let me think about it.
-The ACC champion will be Virginia Tech.  Clemson will face them in the Championship game.
-The Big East will be won by Cincinnati.
-The Big Ten will be won by Wisconsin again.  They will face Michigan in the Championship game.
-The SEC will be won by Alabama.  The Crimson Tide will face Florida in the Championship game.
-The Big 12 will be won by Oklahoma.
-The PAC 12 will be won by USC.  They will face Oregon in the Championship game.
-Conference USA will be won by East Carolina.  They will face Tulsa in the Championship game.
-The WAC will be won by Louisiana Tech again.
-The MAC will be won by Toledo.  They will face Ohio in the Championship game.
-The Mountain West will be won by Boise State.
-The Sun Belt will be won by Western Kentucky.

BCS Championship game prediction: Alabama vs USC.
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs Michigan State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Oregon
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs Clemson