Although the season actually started last night, tomorrow brings the first Saturday slate of games during the 2008 season. I can't wait! As always, there are some interesting matchups of teams from different conferences. And then there are plenty of duds as the powerhouses schedule Division 2 cupcakes merely looking for a payday. However, don't tell that to Appalachian State or Michigan! And remember - though the BCS may drive us nuts sometimes - the uniquely fun part of college football is that title contenders can be eliminated from contention with a loss even here in week one.
Every Friday I will make 5 predictions here on games that I think will be interesting. I'll use the current betus.com point spread so hopefully this will put my forecasting skills (or lack thereof) to the test. Additionally, I will also pick these same games by flipping a quarter with Heads indicating a preference for the home (or favored for neutral site games) team and Tails marking the road team. Let's see how I fare against George Washington!
Hawaii (+34) at Florida -- MY PICK: FLORIDA, GEORGE'S: FLORIDA; June Jones and Colt Brennan are gone. Florida will break in the new running backs and the defense piches a shutout.
Alabama (+4.5) vs Clemson -- MY PICK: ALABAMA, GEORGE'S: CLEMSON; Great ACC-SEC matchup at the Georgia Dome. Look for Nick Saban and QB John Parker Wilson to make great strides this year.
Memphis (+7.5) at Ole Miss -- MY PICK: OLE MISS, GEORGE'S: MEMPHIS ; The Houston Nutt era begins with new QB Jevan Snead.
Utah (+3) at Michigan -- MY PICK: MIGHIGAN, GEORGE'S: UTAH; New Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez can't implement his offense yet but he can kick some butt to avoid another embarrassment.
USC (+19) at Virginia -- MY PICK: VIRGINIA, GEORGE'S: VIRGINIA; USC appears to have QB issues. Will a banged-up Mark Sanchez be able to fill the shoes of past QB greats? Virginia keeps it close.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
More SEC on your TV
I was a little disappointed when I heard the SEC, my favorite conference, got into bed with ESPN on a 15 year television deal. My biggest concern was that the big game-of-the-week would no longer be on CBS every Saturday and called so ably by Verne Lundquist. Thankfully, I soon learned that as of 2009 most of these worries will prove to be unfounded. Though we'll have to deal with ESPN's crap more often, in the end the college football fan wins by getting more games. CBS will continue to broadcast the big game every Saturday. And every other conference game will now be televised in one of the ESPN's many platforms. The only loser is Raycom/Jefferson Pilot Sports who has provided great coverage of college football in the South for so long. In 2009 I guess we'll be ready for the "SEC on ESPN."
This kinda screws the other BCS conferences, doesn't it? I hope fans of the Big 10, Pac 10 and Big 12 are happy with minimal coverage they get on Versus and Fox Sports. Look for those conferences to scramble to do something to compensate.
Highlights of the SEC Television package:
CBS: Has 1st pick of games and will broadcast SEC game-of-the-week at 3:30pm. Will have one prime time game per season.
ESPN, ESPN2: Will televise minimum of 20 SEC games annually, including Saturday nights and two Thursday nights per season. They will take the No. 2 and No. 3 games.
ESPNU: Will add a package of at least 13 SEC games per season.
ESPN Regional Television: Takes the place of Raycom/Jefferson Pilot as the free tv provider for SEC football in the South at 12:30pm. Will have a minimum of 13 games per season.
This kinda screws the other BCS conferences, doesn't it? I hope fans of the Big 10, Pac 10 and Big 12 are happy with minimal coverage they get on Versus and Fox Sports. Look for those conferences to scramble to do something to compensate.
Highlights of the SEC Television package:
CBS: Has 1st pick of games and will broadcast SEC game-of-the-week at 3:30pm. Will have one prime time game per season.
ESPN, ESPN2: Will televise minimum of 20 SEC games annually, including Saturday nights and two Thursday nights per season. They will take the No. 2 and No. 3 games.
ESPNU: Will add a package of at least 13 SEC games per season.
ESPN Regional Television: Takes the place of Raycom/Jefferson Pilot as the free tv provider for SEC football in the South at 12:30pm. Will have a minimum of 13 games per season.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
1st Game of the 2008 Season
It may not be Division 1-A, but tonight you can catch the first game of the year on CBS College Sports Network featuring Division II powerhouse Valdosta State hosting Fort Valley State. They'll be a lot of homegrown Georgia talent on display for sure.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
My Picks
I don't pretend to be the most knowledgeable, but I do love to watch the games. So I'm going to focus less on forecasting and more on commentary here. However, you can't be a real football fan unless you stake your claim every August with some predictions. Most will be wrong. I might nail a couple. And I can always hit the delete button later in the season. Here they are -- apologies for the SEC bias, but the best conference in America has earned it afterall!
SEC -- Florida Gators: Sorry Georgia fans, Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow is still better than Matthew Stafford. Look for him to emerge as an even better passer as his role in the rushing game diminishes. The Gators will have a much better defined running game this year with Lakeland, FL RB Chris Rainey, USC transfer Emmanuel Moody, returning starter Keystahn Moore, and all-around amazing athlete Percy Harvin. The offense will be scary good. Let's see if longtime coordinator Charlie Strong can improve the defense.
ACC -- Clemson : Great double-headed running attack in CJ Spiller and James Davis. Clemson always seems to choke in big spots but the lack of depth in the ACC tells me this might be their year. Virginia Tech has QB issues which will prove too much to overcome.
Big East -- West Virginia : New coach Bill Stewart seems to be the biggest question. Otherwise they don't miss a beat with returning QB Pat White and new starter RB Noel Devine. Pittsburgh is a dark horse after their surprise upset of the Mountaineers last year.
Big Ten -- Michigan : Why not? We'll get to hear all about the greatness of coach Rich Rodriguez if he can win this once great conference with Lloyd Carr's players. Michigan lost all its play makers but the new spread offense should breathe life into the struggling program. Hopefully Ohio State will be exposed this year sometime before the BCS title game!
Big 12 -- Oklahoma Bob Stoops defense is always good. But this year his offense will really shine led by sophomores QB Sam Bradford and RB DeMarco Murray . Additionally, the Big 12 just might be the best conference this year after the SEC has had a stranglehold on that title for a half-decade. I was impressed by the emergence of Kansas, Texas Tech, and Mizzou last year. Imagine if Bo Pellini can improve Nebraska in a hurry.
Pac 10 -- Arizona State: It's time to dethrone USC already. I predict they'll have QB issues and former Arkansas QB Mitch Mustain won't help any. They lost a lot of O-Line and defensive talent and perhaps it will take a year or two to reload. But for the Sun Devils, Coach Erickson already has a good passing attack led by QB Rudy Carpenter. He'll find quickie junior college players to supplement the team's needs just as he always does wherever he goes.
BCS Champion -- Oklahoma: If Oklahoma gets through that conference without a loss, they deserve a chance to play for the title.
Heisman -- Missouri QB Chase Daniel: Yes, I'm definitely a Big 12 convert for the 2008 season.
SEC -- Florida Gators: Sorry Georgia fans, Heisman Trophy winning QB Tim Tebow is still better than Matthew Stafford. Look for him to emerge as an even better passer as his role in the rushing game diminishes. The Gators will have a much better defined running game this year with Lakeland, FL RB Chris Rainey, USC transfer Emmanuel Moody, returning starter Keystahn Moore, and all-around amazing athlete Percy Harvin. The offense will be scary good. Let's see if longtime coordinator Charlie Strong can improve the defense.
ACC -- Clemson : Great double-headed running attack in CJ Spiller and James Davis. Clemson always seems to choke in big spots but the lack of depth in the ACC tells me this might be their year. Virginia Tech has QB issues which will prove too much to overcome.
Big East -- West Virginia : New coach Bill Stewart seems to be the biggest question. Otherwise they don't miss a beat with returning QB Pat White and new starter RB Noel Devine. Pittsburgh is a dark horse after their surprise upset of the Mountaineers last year.
Big Ten -- Michigan : Why not? We'll get to hear all about the greatness of coach Rich Rodriguez if he can win this once great conference with Lloyd Carr's players. Michigan lost all its play makers but the new spread offense should breathe life into the struggling program. Hopefully Ohio State will be exposed this year sometime before the BCS title game!
Big 12 -- Oklahoma Bob Stoops defense is always good. But this year his offense will really shine led by sophomores QB Sam Bradford and RB DeMarco Murray . Additionally, the Big 12 just might be the best conference this year after the SEC has had a stranglehold on that title for a half-decade. I was impressed by the emergence of Kansas, Texas Tech, and Mizzou last year. Imagine if Bo Pellini can improve Nebraska in a hurry.
Pac 10 -- Arizona State: It's time to dethrone USC already. I predict they'll have QB issues and former Arkansas QB Mitch Mustain won't help any. They lost a lot of O-Line and defensive talent and perhaps it will take a year or two to reload. But for the Sun Devils, Coach Erickson already has a good passing attack led by QB Rudy Carpenter. He'll find quickie junior college players to supplement the team's needs just as he always does wherever he goes.
BCS Champion -- Oklahoma: If Oklahoma gets through that conference without a loss, they deserve a chance to play for the title.
Heisman -- Missouri QB Chase Daniel: Yes, I'm definitely a Big 12 convert for the 2008 season.
Monday, August 4, 2008
That time of year
I'd be remiss if I open this journal by describing how how much I anticipate this time of year in the sporting world. Baseball is OK up to the All-Star game, but then but it hits that mid-season point where I generally lose interest. Same thing with Nascar and auto racing in general, which seem to peak in the spring months. Basketball as usual seems a distant memory. And I don't even remember what a puck is, confusing it with some sort of vulgar curse word I don't want my kids saying. And so as the long hot summer rolls on and I consider turning off the TV in favor of something that may actually prove productive....ALONG COMES FOOTBALL!
And it comes in full force with both the college and NFL seasons ready to begin with a bang. TV networks schedule meaningful primetime games earlier every year. Before you know it, it seems there's a game of some sort that can hold my attention on every night of the week. Then suddenly as if baseball realizes it has some serious competition, that sport grows more interesting as the weather gets colder. We have September playoff races and then the playoffs. And Nascar's Chase for the Championship gets underway and provides a few moments of late season drama. And as the football season continues, the unexpected never ceases to occur and to amaze. America is captivated. The holidays approach and we have presents and food and football.
My wife Dana sheds a brief tear. Suddenly order has been fully restored to my sporting world!
Good memories: Florida QB Chris Leak hoists the 2006 BCS National Championship trophy.
And it comes in full force with both the college and NFL seasons ready to begin with a bang. TV networks schedule meaningful primetime games earlier every year. Before you know it, it seems there's a game of some sort that can hold my attention on every night of the week. Then suddenly as if baseball realizes it has some serious competition, that sport grows more interesting as the weather gets colder. We have September playoff races and then the playoffs. And Nascar's Chase for the Championship gets underway and provides a few moments of late season drama. And as the football season continues, the unexpected never ceases to occur and to amaze. America is captivated. The holidays approach and we have presents and food and football.
My wife Dana sheds a brief tear. Suddenly order has been fully restored to my sporting world!
Good memories: Florida QB Chris Leak hoists the 2006 BCS National Championship trophy.
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