Week 1 Preview

The college football season is so close. And it's not a moment too soon. If I have to watch another replay on CBS Sports or ESPNU or ESPN Classic or any other channel that has been running college football replays for the past 2 months, I might just go crazy. I can close my eyes and give you the play by play of the Air Force v. Wyoming game from last season. That's never a good thing.

Here's a little preview of week 1 to satisfy your college football craving until Thursday.

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5 Games to Watch

Here are 5 games that everyone must see this week. I don't care if you have to order these on pay per view or head to your local watering hole. Just make sure you're either in front of the TV or in the stands at one of these games.

1. Georgia @ Oklahoma St. - The two power conferences will be represented in this game. Georgia returns a ton of players from last year's 10 win squad. Unfortunately for the Dawgs, none of those players are named Knowshon Moreno or Matthew Stafford. This game will go a long way in telling how much Oklahoma St. has improved defensively. We all know they can play offense in Stillwater. Zac Robinson, Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter get to show their deadly trio for the first time this season.

2. Alabama @ Virginia Tech - For the second straight season, Bama opens up it's season against a top ten ACC team. Hopefully, for the Hokies, the outcome will be a little bit different. Last year the Crimson Tide routed Clemson en route to an almost perfect season. The loss sent Clemson on a downward spiral that would them their head coach. Va Tech comes into the game without tailback Darren Evans. Speedster Ryan Williams should fill in just fine, but he was face a tough test against Bama's stout defense. The Tide will be breaking in Greg McElroy at QB. It would be a good sign for their offense if he starts off fast against a very good Hokie secondary.

3. Oregon @ Boise St. - Last season's win at Oregon propelled Boise St. to another tremendously overlooked great season. This year, the Broncos get Oregon at home. Both teams look better now than they did last season. For my money, this may be the most entertaining game of week 1. Kellen Moore of Boise St. will look to solidify his spot among the game's top quarterbacks. On the other side, LaGarrette Blount will be looking to add his name to the ranks of top running backs in the country.

4. BYU @ Oklahoma - Another big time BCS v. Non-BCS match-up in week 1. Oklahoma semi-struggled vs. TCU last season. The Horned Frog's D may be a bit better than BYU's. However, BYU's offense is leap year's better than TCU's. That's not good news for OU's defense. This is the premiere QB match-up of week 1 as the defending Heisman winner, Sam Bradford will face off against the savvy Max Hall of BYU.

5. Miami(FL) @ Florida St. - I don't care how far these teams have fallen in recent years. There's nothing like Miami v. FSU to start the season. Both teams will be sporting improved defenses and re-vamped offenses, so it's hard to know what to expect from this game.

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5 Players to Watch

Fantasy football is starting to catch on pretty heavily in college football. The fact that you can actually play with real player names makes the game a little bit better. Here are five players that I would play this week if they were on your roster.


1. Andre Anderson Tulane RB - Anderson quietly became one of the nation's top running backs last season. The Green Wave face Tulsa this week.

2. Evan Royster Penn St. RB - The Nittany Lions face Akron this week. The Zips are bad enough to give up a ton of yards to Royster, but they're decent enough to keep the game quasi close. That would keep Royster in the game long enough to rack up some stats.

3. Damien Williams USC WR - Williams was already going to have a big season for the Trojans this season. Richard Johnson's recent injury has made Williams' role all the more important. The only question is how well will Matt Barkley play in his first game as SC's starting QB.

4. Juice Williams Illinois QB - Just look up Williams' stats against Mizzou last season. You'll see why he should be started this week.

5. Colt McCoy Texas QB - McCoy will have the best opportunity to put up dual threat numbers this week. The Longhorns take on Louisiana-Monroe in week 1.

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Heisman Watch

I will no longer feature an entire post to the Heisman watch this season. That became a bit too tedious. Instead, I will put my two cents into the Heisman discussion into my weekly previews. Here's the first edition.

1. Tim Tebow Florida QB
2. Colt McCoy Texas QB
3. Sam Bradford Oklahoma QB
4. Dez Bryant Oklahoma St. WR
5. Jahvid Best California RB

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My TV Schedule

I hope yours is similar....

Thursday

7:00 pm ESPN South Carolina @ North Carolina St.

7:30 pm ESPNU North Texas @ Ball St.

8:00 pm CBS Sports Central Washington @ Minnesota-Duluth

10:00 pm ESPN Oregon @ Boise St.

Friday

8:00 pm ESPN Tulsa @ Tulane

Saturday

12:00 pm WTTA Western Kentucky @ Tennessee

12:00 pm ESPN Navy @ Ohio St.

12:00 pm ESPN2 Minnesota @ Syracuse

12:00 pm BHSN Liberty @ West Virginia

12:00 pm ESPNU Kentucky @ Miami(OH)

3:30 pm NBC Nevada @ Notre Dame

3:30 pm ABC Georgia @ Oklahoma St.

3:30 pm ESPN Missouri @ Illinois

3:30 pm ESPN2 Western Michigan @ Michigan

3:30 pm SUN San Jose St. @ USC

3:30 pm ESPNU Jackson St. @ Mississippi St.

7:00 pm ESPN BYU vs. Oklahoma

7:00 pm SUN Charleston Southern @ Florida

7:00 pm BHSN Wofford @ South Florida

7:00 pm ESPNU Louisiana Tech @ Auburn

8:00 pm ABC Alabama vs. Virginia Tech

9:00 pm CBS Sports Buffalo @ UTEP

10:00 pm ESPN2 Maryland @ California

10:30 pm ESPN LSU @ Washington

10:30 pm ESPNU Texas Southern @ Prairie View A&M

Sunday

3:30 pm ESPN Ole Miss @ Memphis

7:00 pm FSN Colorado St. @ Colorado

Monday

4:00 pm ESPN Cincinnati @ Rutgers

8:00 pm ESPN Miami(FL) @ Florida St.

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Ultimate Fantasy League Week 1

With the coming of the new college football season comes the all important first ever week of CFB 365's ultimate fantasy league. I've already outlined the details of this league in a previous post. Here is week 1's schedule.

Florida v. Auburn
Georgia @ West Virginia
Tennessee @ Alabama
South Carolina @ Washington St.
Clemson @ Wake Forest
Georgia Tech v. Ole Miss
Mississippi St. v. Kentucky
LSU @ Texas
Colorado v. Colorado St.
Kansas @ TCU
Kansas St. @ Wisconsin
Nebraska v. Arkansas
Missouri v. Illinois
Oklahoma @ California
Oklahoma St. @ Oregon
Texas A&M v. Texas Tech
Washington @ BYU
Oregon St. @ Arizona St.
Stanford v. Duke
Boise St. v. UCLA
USC v. San Diego St.
Arizona @ Virginia
Ohio St. v. Michigan St.
Northwestern @ Minnesota
Purdue v. Notre Dame
Iowa @ Iowa St.
Michigan v. Indiana
Maryland v. NC State
South Florida @ UCF
East Carolina @ Virginia Tech
Miami @ Florida St.
North Carolina v. Louisville
Connecticut v. Houston
Syracuse @ Penn St.
Rutgers @ Pitt
Boston College v. Vanderbilt
Army v. Cincinnati
Navy @ Troy
Air Force v. Wyoming
Southern Miss @ UNLV
Baylor v. Louisiana Tech
Utah v. Tulsa

Weekly Picks

No into this week, just straight to the picks!


Western Michigan @ Ball St.
Navy @ Northern Illinois
Texas A&M @ Texas
West Virginia @ Pittsburgh
Central Michigan @ Eastern Michigan
Mississippi St. @ Ole Miss
Ohio @ Miami(OH)
UTEP @ East Carolina
Akron @ Temple
Kent St. @ Buffalo
Colorado @ Nebraska
Bowling Green @ Toledo
Fresno St. @ Boise St.
UCLA @ Arizona St.
Georgia Tech @ Georgia
Syracuse @ Cincinnati
Miami(FL) @ NC State
South Carolina @ Clemson
Virginia @ Virginia Tech
Kansas @ Missouri
UAB @ UCF
Arkansas St. @ North Texas
Nevada @ Louisiana Tech
New Mexico St. @ Utah St.
Southern Miss @ SMU
Auburn @ Alabama
Florida @ Florida St.
Baylor @ Texas Tech
Maryland @ Boston College
North Carolina @ Duke
Tulane @ Memphis
Houston @ Rice
Tulsa @ Marshall
FIU @ Florida Atlantic
Kentucky @ Tennessee
Oregon @ Oregon St.
Vanderbilt @ Wake Forest
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St.
Notre Dame @ USC
Washington St. @ Hawaii

Upset Alerts:

Colorado over Nebraska - The Buffs need this win to become bowl eligible. I think Coach Hawkins gets them fired up enough to win it.

North Carolina St. over Miami(FL) - Just like last season, Tom O'Brien has the Wolfpack playing like ACC champs at the end of the year. If he can just find a way to have his team play like that all season long, he may have something special.

Tennessee over Kentucky - The Wildcats may be running into a buzz saw on this one. I don't see the Vol senior class letting Coach Fulmer go out without a win.

Oklahoma St. over Oklahoma - It's Bedlam! Anything can happen.....

Weekly Picks

Last Week - 36-14

Overall - 396-99


A pretty respectable week I must say. You can call me the Bill Fitch of picks. I'm racking up the wins, but the losses are creeping up on me....

Last week I correctly picked Rutgers for the second straight week. I believe I might be the only person in America that didn't give up on the Scarlet Knights. I also had the Tar Heels over BC, which was ol' Herbie's upset pick as well. We won't discuss my pick of Washington over Notre Dame right now.

Here's this weeks gems.



Buffalo @ Ohio
Houston @ Marshall
South Florida @ Cincinnati
Northwestern @ Minnesota
Wisconsin @ Michigan St.
West Virginia @ Connecticut
Central Michigan @ Indiana
Miami (FL) @ Virginia
Air Force @ Army
Michigan @ Purdue
Auburn @ Ole Miss
Kansas St. @ Kansas
Tulsa @ Arkansas
Kent St. @ Bowling Green
Colorado @ Texas A&M
Eastern Michigan @ Western Michigan
San Diego St. @ Wyoming
Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame
Kentucky @ Mississippi St.
Fresno St. @ Louisiana Tech
Arkansas St. @ Alabama
Missouri @ Baylor
Hawaii @ Utah St.
Florida @ Georgia
Iowa St. @ Oklahoma St.
Florida St. @ Georgia Tech
Oregon @ California
Clemson @ Boston College
Duke @ Wake Forest
Iowa @ Illinois
Temple @ Navy
North Texas @ Western Kentucky
Washington St. @ Stanford
San Jose St. @ Idaho
Florida International @ UL-Lafayette
BYU @ Colorado St.
Washington @ USC
Boise St. @ New Mexico St.
Louisville @ Syracuse
Troy @ UL-Monroe
Tennessee @ South Carolina
Texas @ Texas Tech
Nebraska @ Oklahoma
TCU @ UNLV
Tulane @ LSU
UAB @ Southern Miss
Rice @ UTEP
Utah @ New Mexico
Arizona St. @ Oregon St.
East Carolina @ UCF

Upset Alert:

West Virginia over Connecticut - The Mountaineers are still perfect in conference play, and last I checked they still had Pat White and Noel Devine in the backfield. I like Bill Stewart to get his first signature Big East win in this one.

Virginia over Miami(FL) - Is there any team in America that has improved as much as the Cavs since the season started? Virginia was making an argument to be the worst BCS team, now they're on a crazy winning streak. I like Al Groh's bunch to knock off the Hurricanes, who have yet to look that impressive.

Texas Tech over Texas - I'm mainly picking this one, because I subscribe to the theory that no BCS team will go undefeated this season. Texas Tech absolutely dismantled Kansas in the second half last Saturday. I think the Red Raiders defense will surprise everyone and get after Colt McCoy.

Arizona St. over Oregon St. - The Sun Devils need this game in the worse way. I know it's incredibly tough to win at Oregon St., but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Arizona St. takes this one.

Thursday Recap

Thursday officially marked the first day of the college football season. It also marked the first of many fights I will have with my wife over the viewing of said college football. She's got to understand there's a certain order for my priorities in life right now:

1. Me.
2. College Football
3. My entertainment
4. Family.

That seems about right. How could she get mad at me? Anyway, here's a brief recap on the happenings around college football Thursday night.

ESPN showcased the North Carolina St. v. South Carolina match-up. The Gators weren't involved in this one but it sure seemed like it. UF references were made throughout the game with the OBC on the Cock sideline, Jesse Palmer in the booth and Erin Andrews reporting. In case you were in a comma last night, Palmer played QB for Spurrier at Florida. Chris Fowler must have mentioned that fact 40 times. Also, all the references to Palmer being on the Bachelor are very unnecessary.

The actual game was a complete douche fest. SC QB Tommy Beecher threw four picks and the OBC never once slammed his visor! What kind of shit is that? Also, the refs are taking this whole new celebration rule enforcement thing a little too seriously. I mean, giving a guy a penalty because he's doing push-ups after missing an int? That's a little ridiculous.

It's safe to say Jim Harbaugh has done a tremendous job of getting the Stanford Cardinal back to being competitive. Stanford pulled off a mild upset by defeating the Oregon St. Beavers late last night. The Cardinal have a RB named Toby Gerhart that is the real deal. This guy is big and has deceptive speed. The way he broke through Beaver tackles made you think Ron Zook was the OSU coach.

Both of the Miamis were in action last night. Miami(FL) wooped up on Charleston Southern behind QB Jacory Harris. Miami(OH) faltered at home against the almighty Vanderbilt Commodores. By the way, Vandy CB D.J. Moore is a legitimate All-American candidate. I would like to hear any of his doubters now.

Wake Forest got their first ever victory in the state of Texas by knocking off Baylor. Wake is a dark horse national title contender this season. If Riley Skinner can keep producing, the Deacs are capable of running through the weak ACC. Baylor dual threat QB Robert Griffin II was very impressive running the ball. Passing.....not so much.

Eastern Michigan won! That almost never happens.

Cincinnati and Connecticut both looked rather impressive while beating up on 1-aa teams. I think Cincinnati will surprise some people this year. Brian Kelly is a vastly underrated coach. Kelly's old team, Central Michigan, also got a win last night. Let the Dan LeFevour Heisman hype begin!

ESPN probably has the worst pre-game/halftime show crew ever. I love Lou Holtz, but these horrible gimmicks they make him do are ridiculous. The pep talk segments last year were a monumental flop. That shit fest looks like Emmy winning material compared to the new Dr. Lou crap they're trying to shove down our throats this season. Also, I hate Mark May. He sucks.

Can't wait for Saturday.

Willie makes it four schools.

Troubled linebacker Willie Williams has enrolled in his fourth school during his college career. Williams will be adding Division II Glenville St. of West Virginia to the list of dumb ass schools that gave this d-bag a chance.


Glenville St. joins Miami, Louisville and West Los Angeles Community College as the other schools in Williams' wake.

Before even playing a down in college, Williams had already been arrested 11 times! He was most recently kicked off the Louisville team after being arrested on drug charges. Williams will be joining former high school teammate, Jerry Seymour at the D-II school. Seymour transferred to Glenville St. after being kicked out of Central Michigan for beating the shit out of some guy outside of a bar.

Get this, there are actually NFL scouts that are still interested in this guy.

As a side note, I just inducted Willie "The Predator" Williams into my douche-bag hall of fame. He joins Nick Saban, Charlie Weis, Kellen Winslow II, Jamar Hornsby and Bobby Petrino as recent inductees.

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.

10 Things that won't change in '08

Every preseason magazine of website focuses on what to expect in 2008. Usually these pages are filled with predictions of changes for the upcoming year. Everyone seems to have an opinion on how the '08 season will unfold.

I thought I should take a look at some things that will stay the same boring course with no changes at all.



1. Notre Dame will still suck. I don't see why so many people thing the Irish will do any better. They still have the most overrated coach in the history of sports, their offense is horrible, and their defense has too many holes for new DC John Tenuta to fix. Plus, Notre Dame's schedule is not to their advantage. Here is their schedule for 2008:

1.San Diego St.- Win
2.Michigan- Win
3.at Michigan St.- Loss
4.Purdue- Loss
5.Stanford- Win
6.at North Carolina- Loss
7.at Washington- Loss
8.Pittsburgh-Loss
9.at Boston College- Loss
10.at Navy- Loss
11.Syracuse- Win
12.at USC- Loss

That's a 4-8 record. I might be giving the Irish too much credit.




2. Ohio St. will win the Big Eleven. Again. No one in the Big Eleven has the tools necessary to unseat the defending champs. Now I'm not ready to put the Buckeyes back in the BCS title game, but I think they should be able to win yet another conference crown. The only conference games that should worry the Buckeyes are at Wisconsin and at Illinois, which defeated Ohio St. at home last season. Also, the Buckeyes should keep an eye out for Purdue. I'm sure the Boilermakers would like nothing more than to send out Joe Tiller with a stunning upset.













3. The SEC will be the best conference. This argument will be closer than recent years. The Big XII has closed the gap some on the boys down South for the right to call themselves the best conference. Sometimes, it seems like the SEC should just break off from the rest of college football. Last year 10 of the 12 teams were bowl eligible. Vanderbilt and Ole Miss were the only two to not make the 6-6 mark. This year, Ole Miss should be much improved with Houston Nutt at head coach and Jevan Snead stepping into QB. Vanderbilt probably still has no shot at a bowl, although they should be more competitive.












4.There will be a non-BCS school in a BCS game. The previous two years has seen two teams from the WAC crash the BCS party. Two years ago the Boise St. Broncos defeated heavily favored Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in what was one of the greatest college football games ever. Last year, the Hawaii Warriors were demolished by the superior Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. This year there are a few teams that have a shot to crack the BCS. In the WAC, Boise St. and Fresno St. are dark horses to make it in, while in the Mountain West BYU is the overwhelming favorite to get a berth. I like the Cougars of BYU to go undefeated and make a BCS bowl.






5. The national champion will come from the SEC. I've already touched on the SEC being the greatest thing to hit college football since female cheerleaders. What I didn't mention is that the SEC has produced the previous two national champions. I look for that to remain the same this season. The favorites to win it all are Georgia and Florida. Of course I like Florida to win it all. I would keep an eye on Auburn as a sleeper NC contender from the SEC West.










6. The Miami Hurricanes will not make a bowl game. Last year marked the first time in ages that the Miami Hurricanes did not get a bowl berth. I do expect the Hurricanes to be better this season, especially on defense. However, I just don't see Miami getting 6 wins from their schedule. One thing working against the Hurricanes is that they will be starting a freshman QB in Robert Marve.









7. Tim Tebow will win the Heisman. This might be my most controversial prediction for this season. Only one player has ever won the Heisman Trophy twice, and that was of course Archie Griffin of Ohio St. I expect Tebow to have better passing numbers than last season, and I expect his rushing numbers to be about the same. So if a Heisman winner improves upon his Heisman winning season, then he should be a lock to win the trophy once again. Also, the Gators will be in national title contention all season, further boosting Tebow's chances.













8. Oklahoma will lose their bowl game. This has become a yearly tradition. When you think of Oklahoma football, you think of Boomer Sooner, the Red River Shootout, Bedlam, and now bowl game losses. It's a staple of the Bob Stoops era lately in Norman. I have Oklahoma making the BCS title game. Since that means the Sooners will be facing an almighty SEC team, of course they're going to lose.















9.Graham Harrell will get no respect despite gaudy numbers. Texas Tech quarterbacks are always overlooked on the national level. Harrell continues the trend of Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, Sonny Cumbie and others before him. Harrell will lead the NCAA in passing , partly because of Mike Leech's system, partly because of receiver Michael Crabtree, and party because he is that good.














10. West Virginia will lose a national title shot on the last game of the season. Last year, the Mountaineers had a national championship game bid all locked up heading into the final game of the season. All they had to do was beat the lowly Pittsburgh Panthers. Of course, Pittsburgh came out and pull off a shocking upset of West Virginia. I look for West Virginia to navigate a tough schedule this season and continue to fight for a NC bid all season long. The Mountaineers are talented enough to do just that. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if West Virginia made it to the last week of the season undefeated. However, I can easily see the Mountaineers losing to the visiting South Florida Bulls and once again falling one game short of the NC.

2008 Impact Freshmen

There is a popular and overused saying that describes freshmen. You know it, "The best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores." This is a cliche that is used almost every year by coaches throughout the country. For the most part, this saying is true. However, every year there are a handful of freshmen that make a difference on their teams.

The following are the 10 freshmen that I think will have the biggest impact on their respective teams in 2008.

Note: These are not the top 10 freshmen this year overall, these are the players that will make the biggest impact on their teams right away.

1.Darrell Scott- RB Colorado- Scott could start right away for the Buffaloes. The incumbent starter at tailback is Demetrius Sumler. I believe Scott is an overall better back than Sumler and he should eventually overcome Sumler for the starting role.

2.Julio Jones- WR Alabama- Jones was the top prospect overall this season. With the departure of D.J. Hall, Alabama could use all the help it can get from the receiver position. Jones will start the season as the third option, but look for him to quickly become John Parker Wilson's favorite target.

3.DeAndre Brown- WR Southern Miss- The Golden Eagles have not seen a talent like Brown in quite a long time (if ever). DeAndre will immediately start for Southern Miss, and with Larry Fedora's wide-open offense, he could have a monster year.

4.Arthur Brown- LB Miami- Bill Young is not the only Kansas import to provide the Hurricanes with a huge upgrade on defense this season. Brown was the top LB recruit in a Miami class that featured some of the best LB's in the nation. Young will bring a new tenacity to the defense that would allow Brown to become the nasty LB that Miami has sorely needed in recent years.

5.Jonathan Baldwin- WR Pittsburgh- Baldwin could either be the starting TE or the 3rd receiver for the Panthers this season. Whichever position he plays Baldwin will be a big, physical target for QB Bill Stull. The Panthers could have a passing game on par with LeSean McCoy and the running game this season.

6.Riley Dodge- QB North Texas- Dodge is hoping to pull off what Cody Hawkins did last year at Colorado. That is start for his father as a true freshman. Dodge will have to overcome incumbent starter Giovanni Vizza to accomplish the feat.

7.Baker Steinkuhler- OL Nebraska- Steinkuhler should start right away for Nebraska on the O-line.Steinkuhler has the skills and mean streak needed to be a typical Nebraska linemen. Wherever he plays on the line, TB Marlon Lucky should find him and run right behind him.

8.Omar Hunter- DT Florida- Florida's defense was shaky at best last season. Hunter has been touted all Spring by Urban Meyer. Omar will definitely be in the rotation once the season starts and if the D-line struggles again, he should become a starter sooner rather than later.

9.Jermie Calhoun- RB Oklahoma- Calhoun has the talent to start anywhere in America. Unfortunately for him, so does returning starter DeMarco Murray. The Sooners will still use a lot of Calhoun this season. He would be like Noel Devine of West Virginia last year, providing the home-run play when needed.

10.A.J. Green- WR Georgia- Green will get plenty of playing time this season for Mark Richt. He is simply too talented not to. I look for Georgia to use Green on a lot of deep routes to compliment Mohammed Massaquoi at the other WR spot.

National Championship odds

I'm not a gambler at all. I like money too much to gamble it away, so I don't really follow the odds or lines on games. However, there are a lot of people out there that take a lot of stock in the odds given by Vegas on certain things happening.

These are the odds of a few notable teams to win the NC this year:

USC - 3:1
Florida, Georgia, Ohio St. and Oklahoma- 6:1
LSU- 12:1
Auburn 20:1
Clemson-22:1
West Virginia- 25:1
Michigan, Tennessee, Texas- 30:1
Miami, UCLA- 35:1
Alabama, Virginia Tech- 40:1
Florida St., Illinois, Penn St., Rutgers- 50:1
Notre Dame- 55:1
Arkansas- 150:1


I don't really care about any of this, but some people put in a lot of work to get these numbers.

Countdown: 83 Days!

83 Days

I just realized that my math was horribly inaccurate when I decided to start this countdown last week. I am actually off the start of the season by a day. I have been petitioning the NCAA to move up the opening games a day so I wouldn't look like a jack ass, but to no avail. Instead I will officially make this countdown, The countdown until there is 1 day left before the start of college football season.

It's fun to hate someone!

One thing that makes college football so much better than the NFL is the true hatred that comes with the fiercest rivalries. I have been to tailgates at NFL games where fans of the opposing teams were enjoying the company of one another over a couple of shared alcoholic beverages.

This would not be the case in a college atmosphere.

Here's a breakdown of what might occur in both these instances.

Example 1- NFL

Cowboy Fan- "Hey there Eagle fan! How are you? Would you like a beer?"
Eagle Fan- "Yes I would. Boy you guys sure were smart to pick up T.O. after we cut him!"
Cowboy Fan- "Yeah that was a good move, but you guys aren't too bad yourselves. Westbrook is a beast."
Eagle Fan-"Well it should be a good game today, good luck! I hope you guys have fun"

Example 2- College

Georgia Fan- "Hey there Gator fan! Nice jean shorts. I hope Tebow dies from blunt force trauma to the domepiece."
Florida Fan- "Sound of fist meeting the cranial region of said Georgia fan's shit talker"
Georgia Fan- (while gasping for air)- "You guys still suck! I'll see Tebow in hell!"
Florida Fan- (While pissing on Georgia Fan's stiff corpse.) "Larry Munson can suck my pork sword!"

Do you see the differences? These are both actual instances that took place during pre-game tailgating.

I decided to pay a tribute to some of college football's greatest rivalries. Get out your shit-ruining boots and enjoy!

Florida v. Georgia
The game formerly known as the world's largest outdoor cocktail party is played every year in Jacksonville, FL and is annually the site of several college student deaths. Can you imagine if this was a home for home series? Georgia fans in Gainesville? Florida fans in Athens? It would be a suicide mission to cheer for your team while on the road. At least with the neutral site, fans have a better's chance of making it through the game alive.

BYU v. Utah
The game know as the Holy War pit the two main institutions of Mormon Utah against one another. BYU had to add on to Lavell Edwards Stadium to allow fans with all 12 of their wives to attend and enjoy the game. While Urban Meyer was at Utah, he installed BYU urinal cakes in the players' restroom during the week of the game. How badass awesome is that?! I'm on e-bay now looking for Georgia toilet bowl scrubbers!

Florida St. v. Miami
Although both these teams have taken a break from fielding competitive football teams in recent years, this is still one of the more hated rivalries in the nation. When FSU and Miami athletes aren't battling each other to see who can steal the most good from which store, or be caught with the most drugs, they are doing battle on the field. This series brought the phrase "wide right" into the common college football lexicon.

Auburn v. Alabama
The Iron Bowl is considered by many to be the epitome of college football rivalry. Since most Alabamans (or whatever they're called) have no knowledge of the modern world, football is pretty much the only thing they have to look forward to. This game always closes out the season and in the past had decided the SEC Champ. In recent years, however, they could have renamed this game to the Auburn Handing Alabama's Own Ass to Them Bowl out to the Tigers dominance. We'll have to wait and see if the AHAOAtTB trend will continue.

Oregon v. Oregon St.
The Civil War is probably my favorite non-Southern college football rivalry. There always seems to be a strange mist over the stadium when these two teams play. The only thing uglier than the hatred these two teams have for one another is the bright yellow Oregon alternate uniforms.

South Carolina v. Clemson
These two teams do battle every year for the bragging rights of the Palmetto state. This rivalry only got better with the addition of Steve Spurrier and the wild brawl that ended the 2004 game.

Ohio St. v. Michigan
An Ohio St. University can't seem to put together a decent game when it come to the NC. However, they can still pull an App. St. and beat Big Blue every year. There's no sign that this rivalry will reverse into Michigan's favor with the hire of overrated RR to run the program.

Texas v. Oklahoma
The Red River shootout needs to be at the end of the year. Who cares about Oklahoma St. and Texas A&M? Can you imagine how much bigger this game would be if it were played at the end of the year? We're talking Ohio St. v. Michigan and Florida v. Florida St. in the 90's status.

Montana v. Montana St.
I just love the name of this rivalry game. The Brawl of the Wild. That name groin-kicks all other names into oblivion. (Especially the Egg Bowl)