Week 3 Preview

The college football season is finally starting to get it's legs under itself. For the most part, the cup cake challengers are long gone off of the heavyweight's schedules. Now it's time to get down to the business. There are several teams that will be opening up conference play this week, as well as several teams that are finally going to face somewhat of a challenge.

Here's what you need to know, as deemed by me, for week 3.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5 Games to Watch

1. Florida v. Tennessee - Of course this game is going to make the list. The Gators are finally going to face a team that will be somewhat competitive for at least two quarters. Maybe. We all know about the hype leading up to this game and I've already gone into great detail what I think about it.

2. Virginia Tech v. Nebraska - This is probably the best game that has not been talked about all year long. Both of these teams are solid defensively as well as great rushing teams. Roy Helu of Nebraska and Va Tech's Ryan Williams could be the deciding factors for this game. Also, look for special teams to play a major role.

3. Washington v. USC - This game looks like a blowout no matter which way you study it from. I am a sucker for new coaches facing their old teams though. That's what you have with this match-up. Steve Sarkisian's Husky squad is coming off it's first win since 1975. They will be all kinds of motivated to put up a fight against the Trojans. They still lose, and possibly lose big. But I'll enjoy watching it.

4. Oregon v. Utah - This is Oregon's chance to redeem itself. They already failed miserably in trying to take down a top-tier Non-BCS team this season. We all remember the LeGarrette Blount Bowl in Week 1. Now the Ducks get a shot at the Utes. I actually like the Ducks' chances in this one. They are playing at home, and Utah no longer has Brian Johnson taking snaps.

5. BYU v. Florida St. - The Noles will be fighting to earn some respect back in this game. After barely losing to Miami, Bobby Bowden's bunch went out and almost lost to the Gamecocks at home last week. That's not the South Carolina Gamecocks. That's the vaunted Jacksonville St. Gamecocks. The very same team led by the legendary Ryan Perriloux. BYU will be looking to continue their BCS season. Knocking off Oklahoma and Florida St in the same season will look really good in the school's media guide for years to come.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5 Players to Watch

1. Tim Tebow QB Florida - Tebow is coming into the game vs. the Vols extremely pissed off. You don't wanna make Timmy angry. He could be in for a huge day.

2. Darryl Clark QB Penn St. - Clark is another QB that could be in for a huge day. The Nittany Lions are hosting Temple.

3. Freddie Barnes WR Bowling Green - Barnes is among the nation's leader in nearly every receiving statistical category. This week the Falcons will be taking on Marshall. A team that is not well known for it's pass defense.

4. Damion Fletcher RB Southern Miss - The Eagles are hosting Virginia this week. The Cavs are one of the worst teams in the nation. They can't do anything right, much less contain a top-flight RB.

5. Dan LeFevour QB Central Michigan - Last week LeFevour led a come from behind victory vs. Michigan St. This week: Alcorn St. I think he'll do just fine.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Heisman Race

1. Tim Tebow Florida QB

2. Colt McCoy Texas QB

3. Max Hall BYU QB

4. Joe McKnight USC RB

5. Jahvid Best California RB

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My TV Schedule

Be jealous...

12:00 CBSC Ball St. @ Army

12:00 ESPN California @ Minnesota

12:00 ESPN2 East Carolina @ North Carolina

12:00 ESPNU Louisville @ Kentucky

12:00 VS Duke @ Kansas

3:30 ABC Nebraska @ Virginia Tech

3:30 CBS Tennessee @ Florida

3:30 NBC Michigan St. @ Notre Dame

3:30 CBSC Virginia @ Southern Miss

3:30 ESPN Utah @ Oregon

3:30 ESPN2 Arizona @ Iowa

3:30 ESPNU Indiana @ Akron

3:30 FSN Tulsa @ Oklahoma

6:45 FSN Cincinnati @ Oregon St.

7:00 ESPNU UL-Lafayette @ LSU

7:00 VS Florida St. @ BYU

7:30 CBSC Air Force @ New Mexico

7:45 ESPN Georgia @ Arkansas

7:45 ESPN2 West Virginia @ Auburn

8:00 ABC Texas Tech @ Texas

10:30 ESPNU Hampton @ NC A&T

11:00 CBSC Hawaii @ UNLV

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ultimate Fantasy League Week 3

Florida @ LSU

Georgia @ South Carolina

Tennessee v. Georgia Tech

Clemson v. West Virginia

Auburn v. Illinois

Alabama v. Michigan

Mississippi St. @ Louisiana Tech

Ole Miss @ Texas Tech

Kentucky v. Tulsa

Colorado @ Missouri

Kansas @ Nebraska

Kansas St. @ Texas

Arkansas v. Oklahoma

Oklahoma St. v. Texas A&M

TCU v. Utah

Washington @ Oregon

Washington St. @ Iowa St.

Oregon St. @ Cincinnati

Stanford v. Boise St.

USC @ Arizona

UCLA v. Arizona St.

California @ San Diego St.

Ohio St. @ Boston College

Northwestern @ Indiana

Minnesota @ UNLV

Wisconsin @ Notre Dame

Purdue @ Pittsburgh

Iowa @ Michigan St.

Miami @ Virginia

Virginia Tech v. North Carolina

NC State @ Louisville

Florida St. @ Maryland

Wake Forest @ Duke

South Florida @ East Carolina

Connecticut @ Rutgers

Syracuse @ Army

Penn St. v Vanderbilt

Navy v. Central Florida

Air Force @ Southern Miss

Colorado St. v. Troy

Baylor v. BYU

Wyoming v. Houston

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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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

Last Week - 46-11

Overall- 207-44


Time for another weekly rendition of me showing just how awesome I am.

It's a shame how incredibly gifted I really am. I honestly can't get enough of myself.

By the way, damn North Carolina for giving away that lead to Va Tech. Here are my picks for this week:

SMU @ Tulane
USC @ Oregon St. (USC will dominate leading to an instant erection by Mark May.)
Connecticut @ Louisville
Minnesota @ Ohio St. (Closer than people think.)
Maryland @ Clemson (See above.)
Michigan St. @ Indiana
Virginia @ Duke (Duke proves they are no longer the worst team in the ACC.)
Pittsburgh @ Syracuse
Kent St. @ Ball St.
Northern Illinois @ Eastern Michigan
Northwestern @ Iowa
North Carolina @ Miami(FL) (The Heels win the Butch Davis bowl.)
Ole Miss @ Florida
Army @ Texas A&M
Rhode Island @ Boston College
VMI @ Ohio
Western Michigan @ Temple
Arkansas St. @ Memphis
Arkansas @ Texas (No hurricane to save the Hogs this week.)
Wisconsin @ Michigan
Tennessee @ Auburn
Houston @ East Carolina
Fresno St. @ UCLA
Colorado @ Florida St.
Purdue @ Notre Dame ( Notre Dame's dream perfect season is over.)
Morgan St. @ Rutgers (Finally.)
Marshall @ West Virginia
Cincinnati @ Akron
UL-Lafayette @ Kansas St.
Navy @ Wake Forest
Buffalo @ Central Michigan
Bowling Green @ Wyoming
North Texas @ Rice
Colorado St. @ California
Oregon @ Washington St. (Cougs might be the worst BCS team.)
TCU @ Oklahoma
Western Kentucky @ Kentucky
Central Arkansas @ Tulsa
UAB @ South Carolina
Florida International @ Toledo
Troy @ Oklahoma St. (This will be a very close game.)
Mississippi St. @ LSU (This will not be a very close game.)
South Florida @ North Carolina St.
Alabama @ Georgia (The game of the week.)
Illinois @ Penn St.
Weber St. @ Utah
Idaho @ San Diego St.
Virginia Tech @ Nebraska
New Mexico @ New Mexico St.
UCF @ UTEP
Stanford @ Washington
Nevada @ UNLV
San Jose St. @ Hawaii

Upset Alert - I came really close to picking Illinois over Penn St. The fact that the game is in Happy Valley is what made me choose the Nittany Lions.

Battle for Inferiority

VS.













Last nights demolishing of Rutgers at the hands of North Carolina was the latest epic event in the battle between the Big East and the ACC for the title of the worst conference in America.

Notice I didn't just say BCS conference. These two pathetic excuses of a collection of "teams" are the worst conferences, period. The Sun Belt, WAC and C-USA all have teams that would ruin some shit in these douche infested leagues.

The first week brought a lot of attention to the shittiness of the ACC. All anyone talked about was how horrible the ACC was, and rightfully so. However, I'm not so sure the Atlantic Coast shit fest is the clear cut favorite for the worst conference award anymore. In enters, the Big East.

The Big East used to affectionately be called the Big Least by all the other major conferences. They took a massive hit after the departure of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the aforementioned ACC. However, with the emergence of West Virginia and Louisville (and most recently,South Florida) as national players, it seemed the Big Least was becoming the Big Beast. They even felt so good about themselves they kicked poor ol' Temple out of the conference.

Now the Big East is back to sucking ass and Temple looks like a team that could contend for the Big East title.

Time for a little tale of the tape action between the two conferences.

First up, the Big East.


1. South Florida

• Good News- The Bulls seem to be the class of the conference right now. They are 2-0 and are the highest ranked team in the Big East. USF is also coming off a season in which they climbed as high as number 2 in the polls. Of course, they immediately choked as soon as they reached their pinnacle and began to tart looking like every other Big East squad.
• Bad News- South Florida needed overtime to beat a struggling Central Florida team last week. They have absolutely NO kicker and their QB always seems to make bad decisions in big games. They face a stiff challenge tonight against the Kansas Jayhawks in Tampa.

2. Connecticut

• Good News- Huskies coach Randy Edsall will most likely be a hot commodity in the off season. Connecticut burst on to the scene last season with a surprisingly good football team. They have also come out of the gates to a 2-0 start this season.
• Bad News- Like South Florida,UCONN needed overtime to beat an inferior opponent in Temple last week. Things could get a lot worse next season if Edsall bolts for a bigger program.

3. West Virginia

• Good News- The Mountaineers have been the dominant Big East team in recent seasons. This year, there was a lot of hype around this team with stars like Pat White and Noel Devine returning. They also have one of the better homefield advantages in the conference.
• Bad News- West Virginia didn't look all that impressive in their opening win over Villanova. They looked even worse during last week's loss to East Carolina. Bill Stewart probably won't last longer than two years in Morgantown, and Noel Devine is bound to be arrested soon.

4. Cincinnati

• Good News- Cincinnati is another team with a great coach in Brian Kelly. They also have a lot of depth at the more important positions, including QB. They were able to hang tough with Oklahoma last week until their Big East heritage began to shine through.
• Bad News- The second half of the OU game was a disaster. Good thing they have depth at QB, because starter Dustin Grutza is banged up.

5. Pittsburgh

• Good News- They have LeSean Mcoy.
• Bad News- McCoy hasn't done dick so far this season. Dave Wannstedt is their head coach, and they lost to a MAC team.

6. Louisville

• Good News- The Cardinals still have a loyal fan base despite recent struggles. I truly believe that Hunter Cantwell and this Louisville offense will get things going and return to a bowl game. Who knows, with the way the rest of the teams are playing, the 'Ville could even make a run at the conference crown.
• Bad News- They only netted a safety in their opening game thrashing by Kentucky. Up until this point, Cantwell and the offense have looked really bad. Also, it can't be easy for Steve Kragthorpe to coach when he's always looking over his shoulder.

7. Rutgers

• Good News- There is none.
• Bad News- They have 10 more games this season.

8. Syracuse

• Good News- Greg Robinson will be fired soon. Hopefully.
• Bad News- Greg Robinson, as of this moment, is still the coach.

Now it's the ACC's turn.

Atlantic

1. Wake Forest

• Good News- Wake has easily been the best team in the ACC so far this season. They are 2-0 and are lead by Heisman hopeful Riley Skinner. They also have one of the best coaches in America in Jim Grobe.
• Bad News- They almost lost to middle of the road Ole Miss last week. Then again, Ole Miss would probably be the favorite to win the ACC this year.

2. Florida St.

• Good News- The Seminoles looked pretty good in their first game. Even though it was against Western Carolina.
• Bad News- They have no quarterback play to speak of. Bobby Bowden is fading as a figurehead. The NCAA is getting closer and closer to dropping the hammer on this program.

3. Clemson

• Good News- Clemson has a ton of athletes. Both sides of the ball are littered with future NFL players. They have one of the better backfields in the country with James Davis and C.J. Spiller.
• Bad News- Clemson always seems to stumble on their own vaginas in games they're supposed to win. Tommy Bowden is not a very good coach. Also, their will probably be a mass exodus of talent from Clemson in the off season. This was probably their last shot at a NC.

4. Boston College

• Good News- The Red Sox will be in the playoffs again. Maybe that will take away some of the attention from this program. Although, the Eagles should make it back to a bowl game.
• Bad News- Matt Ryan is now a Falcon, and the Eagles have set the bar for expectations a little to high for their program to meet on a consistent basis. Getting run through by Georgia Tech last week didn't help them.

5. North Carolina St.

• Good News- Tom O'Brien is a solid coach. Once the Wolfpack get their quarterback situation figured out (which will probably be next year) they should be back competing for the ACC title.
• Bad News- Their quarterback play right now is ass awful. During their week 1 loss to South Carlina, they made the 'Cock QB's look like NFL Hall of Famers.

6. Maryland

• Good News- They get all kinds of free crap from under armour.
• Bad News- Ralph Friedgen is no longer a good coach. They barely beat Delaware in week 1 and lost to Middle Tennessee in week 2. There's almost no D-1 team that has had a worse 2 games in the nation.

Coastal

1. Georgia Tech

• Good News- The Yellow Jackets have looked pretty solid under new coach Paul Johnson. His triple option attack has looked flawless against J-Ville St. and Boston College in the first two weeks.
• Bad News- Teams should figure out how to stop the triple option pretty soon. Once that happens, Tech is screwed. They don't rally have a passing game to speak of. Or at least, they haven't shown it yet.

2. North Carolina

• Good News- They just annihilated Rutgers last night. I don't know what that counts for but it was an impressive win.
• Bad News- They barely beat McNeese St. in week 1. Hey, North Carolina vs. Duke might be a big game in the ACC this year.

3. Miami

• Good News- Miami looked impressive against Charleston Southern in week 1. They also looked solid in their defeat to the awesomeness that is Florida in week 2. Sean Spence is a star in the making.
• Bad News- Randy Shannon won't stop crying long enough to game plan for their next opponent. Maybe he should stop worrying so much about the Gators' offense and work with his Hurricane defense.

4. Virginia Tech

• Good News- They have a 1 game winning streak heading into week 3.
• Bad News- That streak could end against Paul Johnson's Yellow jackets. Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor are not D-1 QB's. You knew this was going to be a long season when the Hokies lost to East Carolina on a blocked punt.

5. Duke

• Good News- Duke has already won a game this season! Also, David Cutcliffe is probably the best coach outside of Jim Grobe in the ACC.
• Bad News- Duke is still Duke when it comes to football. They're just not very good. Which means they fit right in with the rest of the conference.

6. Virginia

• Good News- Thanks to their loss to ESPN's personal spank bank in week 1, they have received a lot of national exposure.
• Bad News- After being torched by USC, they then went out and played a clunker against Richmond. Not a good start for the Cavs.

So there's your arguments between the two conferences. I'm not so sure which one is the worse in America. It's a close race. Or crawl.

Saturday's Stories

The first Saturday of the college football season is in the books. There were a bevy of nauseatingly boring games with which to choose from. As week 1 draws nearer to it's close, I would like to take a look at the top stories from Saturday.


Injured RB's.









A few teams had their opening season victories dampened by injuries to their top tailbacks. Ohio St. throttled Youngstown St. In a game that should have been headlined by Terrelle Pryor's first touchdown, Beanie Well's injury stole the show. Well's went down with a foot injury in the third quarter while attempting to score on the vaunted Penguin defense.

Georgia's Knowshon Moreno was also hit with the injury bug. Moreno left the game after grabbing his hamstring during a touchdown run against Georgia Southern. Moreno's injury does not seem to be very serious and he should be back in the lineup by next week.

Ohio St. will most likely sit Wells out of next week's historic match up vs. in state rival Ohio. This should give Beanie enough time to recoup before the USC game.



Upsets










While there were no monumental upsets like Appalachian St. over Michigan this week. There were a few games that turned some heads and caused a general "huh?" reaction from fans.

East Carolina pulled off probably the biggest upset of the week by knocking off 17th ranked Virginia Tech in Charlotte. ECU scored the go ahead touchdown by, ironically enough, blocking a Va Tech punt and returning it for a touchdown. I think Skip Holtz just bought himself a better job this off season.

Bowling Green also drank from the upset kool-aid Saturday. The Falcons defeated Dave Wannstedt's Pittsburgh team. The Panthers seem to be battling with Clemson for the title of most overly hyped underperfoming team in America. After Clemson's loss to Alabama, it's a toss up.

Most people didn't see the Texas A&M loss to Arkansas St. late Saturday night. The Red Wolves spoiled TAMU's new head coach Mike Sherman's debut. I don't care how big a rebuilding year this is for the Aggies, there's no way they should ever lose to Arkansas. St.

Mississippi St. became the first SEC team of the season to lose. Louisiana Tech won the battle of the Bulldogs Saturday night. The win was the first one for La Tech over a BCS opponent in Ruston ever. I hope this doesn't start a trend for Sly Croom's bunch.

I would include Utah over Michigan, but I don't consider that an upset. The Utes proved they were a superior team with superior players in Ann Arbor. RichRod has a lot of work to do with his bunch. On the bright side, I think the Wolverines have found their starting QB in Steven Threet.


Coaching Debuts














I've already talked about the losing debuts of Mike Sherman at Texas A&M and Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, respectively. A few other coaches made their debut with their teams on Saturday. Here's how they fared:

Greg McMackin, Hawaii - Got stomped by the Gators 56-10.

Bill Stewart, West Virginia - Defeated Villanova with the best passing performance of Pat White's career.


Paul Wulff, Wasshington St. - Lost to Oklahoma St. in Seattle. Wazzou fans are already booing the new regime.

Ken Niumatalolo, Navy - His Midshipmen throttled Towson in Annapolis.

Bobby Petrino, Arkansas - Barely won against 1-aa Western Illinois. I was hoping for the upset all the way through. If Arkansas continues that level of play, they will be horrendous this season.

Jerry Kill, Northern Illinois - Almost pulled off the mild upset against the worst BCS team in the nation, Minnesota.

Houston Nutt, Ole Miss - The Rebels manhandled rival Memphis in a game that I thought would be a lot closer.

David Cutcliffe, Duke - Defeated James Madison. Hey, at Duke, a win's a win.

Bo Pelini, Nebraska - Destroyed Western Michigan at home.

Kevin Sumlin, Houston - Won big against Southern. His Cougars are looking very sharp.

Larry Fedora, Southern Miss - Defeated Louisiana-Lafayette. Real test comes next week.

Conference Outlook

As the season is drawing ever closer. I decided to make my conference picks.

As you all know, I don't like to bet, but if I did, I would be a millionaire because these picks are freaking golden.

Kirk Herbstreit (aka The Viceroy of Cock) recently completed his list. I will not post a link to it however because the WWL will relentlessly hunt me down and kill all my future children. So I'll just tell you to go check it out. You know the address.

Here's the CORRECT picks:

Note: If I feel another team might have a decent shot, I'll put them in these bad boys, (....).

ACC Atlantic - Clemson, (Wake Forest)
ACC Coastal - Virginia Tech, (North Carolina)
ACC Champ - Clemson, (Wake Forest)

Big East - West Virginia, (Rutgers)

Big Eleven - Ohio St., (Illinois)

Big 12 North - Missouri, (Colorado)
Big 12 South - Oklahoma, (Texas Tech)
Big 12 Champ - Oklahoma, (Missouri)

PAC 10 - USC, (Arizona St.)

SEC West - Auburn, (LSU)
SEC East - Florida, (Georgia)
SEC Champ - Florida, (Georgia)

Conference USA East - UCF, (Memphis)
Conference USA West - Tulsa, (SMU)
Conference USA Champ - Tulsa, (UCF)

MAC East - Temple, (Bowling Green)
MAC West - Central Michigan, (Ball St.)
MAC Champ - Central Michigan, (Ball St.)

Mountain West - BYU, (Utah)

Sun Belt - Florida Atlantic, (UL-Monroe)

WAC - Boise St., (Fresno St.)

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.

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: 76 Days!

76 Days

Frank Beamer may be one of the ugliest coaches in America, but he always has his Hokies ready to play. Virginia Tech might slip a bit this year, but a second straight ACC title game appearance should be attainable. Especially with the ACC having a down year, or down decade for that matter..