Week 1 Precap

I do so love this time of year. There is just a slight nip on the wind that brings a smile to my face every time I feel it. Unlike this year, that briskness in the wind usually carries away the sweltering heat of summer as the clouds slowly thicken in the sky. This year, it is just a cool as it has been all summer, but now it's cloudy. Anyway, that slight chill on the wind brings me back to younger days when the summer job was about to end and I was eagerly anticipating the return of friends and football.

It was in this heady rush of old memories gone and yet to come that I decided that, in the spirit of excitement of this new season, I would make a prediction for every game coming up this weekend. I got as far as the Villanova at Temple game that kicks off at 7:00 on Thursday before I realized that it wasn't going to happen. So let's just take a look at a few of the bigger ones.

I should note that one of the fun parts about this time of year is just how little we actually know about any of these teams. I mean, we know nothing. And many of these teams don't know anything about themselves either. It isn't until the second or third week of the season that coaches and players really start getting into the groove as they learn about each other and the teams they are playing. So, with that in mind, I may just point out some things to look for in these games if we want to learn more about the teams playing in them.

South Carolina at North Carolina State

Thursday night brings us another of those SEC-ACC regional pride games that are so much fun to watch. I think this one is going to be kooky. It's two middle-of-the-road teams battling it out for bragging rights in the first week of the season. It may be sloppy, but I think it's going to fun to watch... if you aren't a fan of one of the teams. If you are a fan of one of the teams, then you are going to find yourself yelling, "What the ^@%$ are you doing?!" at the television a lot.

Oregon at Boise State

This one is going to get interesting. Oregon is still angry at the Broncos for a serious of brutal hits in last year's game that were, from all reports, flagrantly illegal. The Broncos are clearly not happy about playing second fiddle to their neighborhood BCS conference; but they are hard-hitting, undersized football players who aren't above head-hunting... not unlike the Hurricanes of the Miami heyday. Regardless, these two teams are going to come out swinging. The game will probably go to whichever team can keep up that crazed, angry intensity for four quarters.

Tulsa at Tulane

I just wanted to point out that this is the only game on Friday night. At least the only one I know of. And both teams' names start with "Tul-". That's all I've got, except that I think Tulsa will win.

Navy at Ohio State

This game is going to be more interesting than most people might think. The triple option can be very confusing for teams that don't play against it very much, and Ohio State has not played against it at all. Tressel usually tends to play teams like this close in the early season. Plus, with USC coming up, the Buckeyes probably don't want to give away too much this week. This one may go for the full four quarters and finish at the wire. If so, expect a very negative vibe coming from Columbus, Ohio in the days leading up to USC.

Appalachian State at East Carolina

Appalachian State knocked off Michigan a couple years ago, and that was a Michigan team that sent a lot of talent to the NFL. East Carolina would do well to be wary.

Minnesota at Syracuse

I know it sounds crazy, but this may be a make-or-break game for both schools. Minnesota is going to have a tough time squeezing enough wins for a bowl invite out of the morass of middling-fair teams in the Big Ten. Syracuse has been so abysmally lousy that they need some wins if they want to even sniff the possibility of a bowl bid they could really use. The key to both teams' ability to get to the postseason may very well ride on the outcome of this game.

Western Kentucky at Tennessee

Tennessee will win, but we all want to see how they look. Last year, the team quit on Fulmer. Will they fight for Kiffin? What does a Lane Kiffin team look like when it is not the Raiders? We all wonder.

Youngstown State at Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh should win. But they have not fared well against lower-tier Ohio schools in the last few years, so keep an eye on this one.

Georgia at Oklahoma State

Georgia is going to win. Probably by a lot. The Bulldogs have done very well in early-season interconference matchups, and I don't foresee that changing this year against an Oklahoma State team that may be expecting too much from themselves.

Nevada at Notre Dame

I think we may learn a lot about Notre Dame in this game. They should win. But if Nevada can keep it close, I think we will know that Notre Dame still has some work to do. And if Nevada can't keep it close, then Notre Dame may have some work to do, but not as much as they have in the last few years.

Western Michigan at Michigan

Let's face it, Michigan could not be in worse shape coming into the season. They just came off a TERRIBLE year by any standards, and it was even worse when it was the winningest team in college football out there laying an egg. Now they have the flap about practice time which, I will point out, is a rule that is probably bent very frequently in this game. But there are some distinctions that must be made in the extra practice time that every team puts in. The thing is, if those key portions of the allegations are true, then they are well beyond sneaking around the rules. No matter what, they indicate a team that does not have good chemistry with its coaching staff. I think I will need to write a few words on the matter -- later.

On top of that, RichRod is now being sued over some investment that went bad. I don't get the gist of the thing, but first impressions indicate a hazy, never-ending legal tangle that is going to go on for a long time, even as it casts a cloud over a coach who has plenty of other things to worry about.

Anyway, I really don't want to make a prediction in this game, because I have no idea what to expect from the Wolverines. They have the talent, but is there too much turmoil?

And by the way, there is talk that Rodriguez said he will play three quarterbacks in the game. I believe the actual statement was something like, "I'd like to play three quarterbacks. That would be neat." And I agree, that would be neat. I think huge robot lions combining to form Voltron is also neat, but that doesn't mean I'm intending to base my future upon building and using them. If it's a blowout, then he'll play three quarterbacks. If it's not, it will probably just be the two freshmen.

Baylor at Wake Forest

An interesting game that is snowed under a lot of other, bigger games. Baylor is improved and have an exciting quarterback in Robert Griffin. Wake continues to stick around as they play tough defense and good-enough offense. Neither team is a national title contender, but they can create matchup problems for teams that are. While this game will not truly impact either team's season, it will harden both of them and help them once they get to conference play. This game will be worth watching just to find out what each team's strengths and weaknesses are, and how that will help both teams against the bigger names on their schedules.

Missouri vs. Illinois (St. Louis)

The problem with this game is that we will not learn anything about either team, no matter how hard we try. Sure, we will see two teams playing and doing good things and doing bad things and fighting hard and all that, but we know so little about either team that it will be impossible to make any conclusions based on their performance on the field. Last year's Illinois team wasn't good, but they have good returning players, some of whom have changed positions. Last year's Missori team was very good, but they lost almost all of their best players. Should be fun to watch, but it won't be very educational.

Brigham Young vs. Oklahoma (Dallas)

A really cool matchup in The House that Jerry Built for His Enormous Television. But I expect Oklahoma to win walking away. If BYU can keep it close, however, I would guess that will indicate that Oklahoma did not replace their departed offensive linemen as well as one might hope.

Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (Atlanta)

The problem with big-time games like this in the first weekend is that neither team really knows what their strengths or weaknesses are. And teams that might have a lot of fight in them later in the season might have trouble rallying at this point in the season. These top-10 intersectional games can quickly get out of hand if one team starts getting frustrated. I think that will happen here. I expect Alabama to break the Hokies down between the tackles and force them into mistakes when they overcompensate. Then the rout will be on.

Maryland at California

Another cool matchup that may not light anyone else's fire. California should win this one. But Maryland and California are also two mystery teams, so keep a bowl of popcorn handy just so you don't miss anything weird.

LSU at Washington

I do so wish this was the game that it should be. Most of the time, these teams are about on the same level. But LSU is high on the upswing and Washington is down in the dregs. LSU wins what should have been an interesting game.

Ole Miss at Memphis

Ole Miss will win. Old Miss should romp, according to all conventional wisdom, but I get the feeling Memphis will make them work for it for at least three quarters.

Colorado State at Colorado

Oh, let's go with Colorado, in a game that fails to register on the national seismometer at quite the level of Iowa-Iowa State.

Cincinnati at Rutgers

Brian Kelly is cheesed off at the Big East for moving this game up the first week of the season. Can't say as I blame him, Cincinnati is coming off of an Orange Bowl berth that gave them a lot of momentum. But they have to replace 10 starters on defense while breaking in the new 3-4 defense (which is probably the new-style 3-4: the 5-2), and now they have to start the season and work out the kinks in their offense and defense while the play a major league rival on the road. Furthermore, this is a team that Cincinnati has had success against in the past, and they match up well against a Rutgers smashmouth offense that has given fits to many other teams in the league. But without a fully congealed defense, I think Rutgers will take the win. I actually moved these teams up/down one slot in my conference predictions based on my pick in this game, so I guess I'm serious about it.

Miami(FL) at Florida State

Why do the ACC scheduling folks hate us? Why did they schedule this game for the first weekend of the season again? The last few times the Hurricanes and Seminoles started the season against each other, it got embarrassing. I mean, that was bad football. It was one giant slop-fest of cluelessness that left viewers wondering whether both teams could lose the game. I was so relieved when they stopped scheduling this game on the first weekend of the season, because it meant that we didn't have to watch that catastrophe. Now they do this to us again. Have they learned nothing from past experience?

Anyway, I say that Miami will win because I think they are worse than Florida State. That is logic on about the same level as scheduling this game on the first week of the season.