Week 3 Preview

I thought now would be a good time for me to spew some random thoughts I have on the upcoming week in college football. Plus, I'm reeeeaaalllllyy bored at work right now!
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Everyone is talking about the big game this weekend. It's a huge event in college football for two programs as huge as this meeting in out of conference play. Of course, I am referring to the monumental Navy at Duke ball game.

While most of the nation will pay no mind to this contest, I will be following along intensely. This game could be a program changer for Duke, which hasn't played a meaningful football game since the Steve Spurrier days. I really think David Cutcliffe is one of the better coaches in the nation. The blue Devils are extremely lucky to have him. That being said, the Midshipmen should rack up about 500 yards rushing on the ACC pansies and win by 3 touchdowns.

Cutcliffe will have Duke moving in the right direction eventually. Just not now.
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As for the other big game this weekend. USC will be hosting the personal punching bag of the SEC, the Ohio St. Buckeyes. I know the Buckeye faithful feel they have a good shot of knocking off the Trojans in the Coliseum. However, I know that deep down inside, OSU fans realize they have no shot of winning this one.

Beanie Wells will be neutralized by Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga. Boeckman will have to play 1513215481 times better than he did against in-state juggernaut Ohio for the Buckeyes to even remain close. Now, the Buckeye defense should keep the contest closer than most people think it will be. But in the end, the Trojans have too much depth for Ohio St. to handle.
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In a game that will not be close at all, Oklahoma travels to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. I really feel bad for UW after they were jobbed last week by PAC-10 officials against BYU. Unfortunately for Ty Willingham's bunch, the Sooners don't provide much in the form of a bounce-back game.

I really hope the Huskies give Willingham one more year to get them to a bowl game. He deserves at least that.
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Coaches on the rise:

These are coaches of some non-BCS programs that could be cashing in some bigger paychecks next season.

Skip Holtz, East Carolina
Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Bronco Mendenhall, BYU
Chris Petersen, Boise St.
Todd Graham, Tulsa
Al Golden, Temple
Turner Gill, Buffalo

Coaches on the way out:

These are some coaches that may be serving you your grande non-fat latte at Starbucks after this year.

Greg Robinson, Syracuse
Chuck Long, Sand Diego St.
Ralph Friedgen, Maryland
Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh
Tommy Bowden, Clemson
Tyrone Willingham, Washington
Tommy West, Memphis
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What the hell's going on with:

LeSean Mcoy.

This Pittsburgh running back was lauded by some (including me) as one of the best two backs in the country, He hasn't done shit this season. This reminds me a lot of Ken Simonton of Oregon St. fame. Simonton was supposed to be a leading Heisman candidate for the Beavers only to put up some seriously weak numbers for the Beavers in 2001. I hope this is just a Sophomore slump.

What has gotten into:

Rice.

David Bailiff has his Owls playing some pretty good football through the first two weeks. Rice has defeated SMU and Memphis, both schools that were seen as up and comers in the C-USA. Rice is now 2-0 in the conference. Making them the top team in C-USA. Chase Clement is an early dark horse Heisman candidate as well. WR Jarrett Dillard may be the first wideout taking in next year's NFL draft.

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5 Games to watch:

1. Ohio St. @ USC
2. Georgia @ South Carolina
3. Kansas @ South Florida
4. UCLA @ BYU
5. Wisconsin @ Fresno St.

5 Stories to Follow:

1. Can the ACC get on track? ( UNC @ Rutgers, Navy @ Duke, Cal @ Maryland, UVA @ UCONN)
2. Big bounce back game for Tennessee. (vs. UAB)
3. Will SMU and Texas Tech break the 100 point threshold?
4. Which "pretenders" are for real? (Rice, Vandy, Arkansas, Minnesota, Arkansas St., Iowa)
5. Will Randy Shannon stop crying?

The top 25 players: ACC

The Atlantic Coast conference has fallen upon hard times as of recently. It seems the ACC has replaced the Big East as the worse non-BCS conference in America.

The thing that is most befuddling to CFB fans is the fact that the talent in the ACC is just as high as anywhere else. Clemson, Florida St., and Miami are consistently among the top recruiting programs in the nation, Virginia Tech is a perennial national player, and Wake Forest and Virginia have shown signs of success.

Also the recent hirings of Butch Davis at North Carolina and David Cutcliffe at Duke has given a boost to the once bottom feeders of the conference.

I think the ACC will bounce back somewhat this season. That being said, I wouldn't pencil in any ACC team into your NC game.

Now that I've rambled on about the ACC, here's the list of the top 25 players in this conference.

1. James Davis - Clemson RB - The Tigers received a tremendous boost when Davis announced he was returning to campus. Davis and fellow back C.J. Spiller will give Clemson one of the better rushing attacks in the country.

2. Victor Harris - Virginia Tech DB - This may seem a little high to some, but I feel Harris is one of the better talents in any secondary in America. Harris is a sure fire NFL first rounder who should help the Hokies compete for another ACC title game berth.

3. C.J. Spiller - Clemson RB - This may be another player that some people may feel I have a little too high. I am still upset that Spiller spurned his hometown Gators to wear the orange and blue of Clemson.

4. Hakeem Nicks - North Carolina WR - Every time I watched a Tar Heel game last season, I saw a tremendous acrobatic catch from Nicks. This may seem absurd, but Hicks reminds me a lot of Calvin Johnson while he was at Georgia Tech. If UNC can get their QB situation figured out, Nicks could be in contention for All-American honors.

5. Cullen Harper - Clemson QB - Harper surprised a lot of people last season. I was one of them. It doesn't hurt that Harper is surrounded by some of the best talent in the conference at Clemson. Still, Harper is a tremendous talent at the QB position and he will provide quality leadership for the Tigers.

6.Aaron Kelly - Clemson WR - Kelly will be the primary target for Harper at Clemson this year. He was able to produce All-ACC numbers last season, and I see no reason why he can't repeat that performance.

7. Alphonso Smith - Wake Forest DB - Jim Grobe has been able to cultivate some real talent at Wake Forest. Expectations are high for the Deacons this season. Smith will make it hard for any team to throw against the Wake Forest D.

8.Andrew Gardner - Georgia Tech OL - The ACC has always produced some top notch offensive linemen. Gardner is the latest in a long list of quality linemen from the conference.

9. Michael Hamlin - Clemson DB - Don't get too excited Clemson fans. There is always a lot of talent on the Tigers, they just can't seem to win every game they're supposed to.

10. Riley Skinner - Wake Forest QB - I think a lot of people across the country are seriously underestimating this guy. Skinner has proven to be a top tier QB for the Demon Deacons over the past few years. Skinner would love to get the Deacons back into the ACC title game after missing it last season.

11. Vance Walker - Georgia Tech DL - Walker gets to practice with one of the best O-linemen in Andrew Gardner down in Atlanta. That has allowed Walker to really improve his technique. In what appears to be a transition year for the Jackets, Walker and the D will need to come through big.

12. Aaron Curry - Wake Forest LB - Yet another reason why the Deacons will have a say in the ACC title race. Curry and the Wake Forest D should be greatly improved this season. That's a scary thought for the rest of the conference.

13. Chris Chancellor - Clemson DB - I've run out of nice things to say about Clemson at this point.

14.Dave Phillistin - Maryland LB - Ralph Friedgen may be on a little bit of a luke warm seat at Maryland this season. The Terps have a lot of questions on offense. Thanks to Phillistin, the Maryland defensive unit should remain strong.

15. Eugene Monroe - Virginia OL - Virginia nay fall out of the spotlight this season with the departure of Chris Long. It's a shame that most of America won't get the chance to see talents like Monroe playing for the Cavaliers.

16. Mikell Simpson - Virginia RB - Even though Simpson won't be starting for Virginia, I still believe he is a top 25 talent within the conference. Simpson came on strong in the second half last season, including a phenomenal bowl game for the Cavaliers. I look for Mikell to slowly start to increase his carries this year. Every time this guy touches the ball, he's a threat to go all the way.

17. Rodney Hudson - Florida St. OL - Tough times have befallen the Seminoles lately. The cheating scandal at the end of last year was pretty much the topping on the shit cake of a season FSU endured. Still, 'Nole fans are optimistic their team can turn it around this year. I'm not so sure they can, but with players with the talent like Hudson, anythings possible.

18. Chip Vaughn - Wake Forest DB - Along with Alphonso Smith, Vaughn may help form of the fiercest secondaries in America. Who would have ever thought we would be saying that about a Wake Forest team.

19. Josh Adams - Wake Forest RB - Much like Riley Skinner, Josh Adams is severely underrated by the rest of the country. Adams is an explosive back who is a great receiver coming out of the backfield. The more I talk about this Wake Forest team, the more I'm convinced they are for real.

20. Javarris James - Miami RB - James will be sharing carries with Craig Cooper this season. I expect James to get the bulk of the load. Insiders of the UM program have often said that James may be the most talented back to come from Miami since Edgerrin.

21. Darrius Heyward- Bey - Maryland WR - If Maryland can ever figure out the mess they call their QB situation, they just might have a decent offense. I would rank Heyward-Bey a little higher, but the fact that we don't know how the QB play will effect him kind of hurts his ranking.

22. Marvin Austin - North Carolina DL - Austin is a part of a Tar Heel defense that may be among the best this season. Butch Davis put together some pretty good defenses at Miami and it seems he is doing the same in Chapel Hill.

23. Clint Sintim - Virginia LB - Sintim is one of those players that has a constant motor. He never takes a play off and he plays through the whistle. I can always find time for guys like that on my lists.

24. Greg Carr - Florida St. WR - Over the past few year, the Florida St. offense has pretty much consisted of fade routes and jump balls to Carr. If I had a talent like Carr at WR on my team, I just might do the same.

25. Eron Riley - Duke WR - I was torn between two Duke players for this spot. I decided on Riley over his QB Thaddeus Lewis because Riley is the better athlete. David Cutcliffe is a great coach, and he should have the Blue Devils playing more competitively this season.