Week #1

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.