Thursday, September 3, 2009

Weekly Pick'ems

Bringing back an early College tradition, College Football Saturday will bring you a series of weekly pick'ems from four huge fans with varying allegiances. Our group can hardly agree on one thing, except that Saturdays in the fall are second to none. With two Ohio State fans, one Texas Longhorn and a UGA fan you will get a wide variety of "who's rootin' for who?" Nothing is at stake here except for bragging rights. And sometimes that’s all that matters.

Enjoy, and as always, tell us what you think...

Chris

Kale

Dan

George

South Carolina at NC State -3.5

SC

SC

SC

NC St.

#16 Oregon at #14 Boise St. -4.5

Ore.

B St.

B St.

Ore.

Navy at #6 Ohio State -22

OSU

OSU

OSU

OSU

Kentucky -10 at Miami (OH)

UK

UK

UK

UK

#13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma St. -4

UGA

UGA

UGA

Ok. St.

#20 BYU at #3 Oklahoma -21

OU

OU

OU

OU

Louisiana-Monroe at #2 Texas -36

UT

UT

UT

UT

#5 Alabama -4 vs. #7 Virginia Tech

VT

Bama

Bama

Bama

Cincinnati at Rutgers -6.5

UC

UC

UC

UC

Miami (FL) at #18 Florida St. -4

FSU

FSU

Mia.

FSU

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Week 1 Mr. Saturday Power Rankings

As the College Football season rapidly comes to it's opening kickoff and the two a days come to an end I unveil my 1st "Mr. Saturday Power Rankings". These rankings don't necessarily reflect where I think the teams will be in the Top 25 rankings come Monday, but rather who I think is the real deal and who I think is not.

Georgia, for example, plays a killer schedule with the Dawgs non-conference foes being Oklahoma St., Arizona St., and Georgia Tech. ESPN crush Notre Dame on the other hand plays enough cup cakes to give even Charlie a sugar high.
So while it is much easier for the Fighting Irish to run the table than the Bulldogs, records alone don't always show who is actually better.

Week One Power Rankings

1) Florida: Got to love the Gators depth on Defense and any team with Tim Tebow would be good. Only concern is are the too confident? What about the Gators playing Tebow under center? Will that switch mess up his confidence and flow?

2) Texas: Colt McCoy is the last of the Big Three (Sammy, Timmy and himself) to have not won either a National Championship or Heisman. Can this be his year? Do they have enough fire power on offense to compete with the big boys?... not to say the Big 12 ever plays solid defense.

3) Oklahoma: Returning Heisman winner Sam Bradford leads the Sooners back for another go-around. Can Stoops regain his "Big Game Bob" form? What does OU look like with a new offensive line?

4) Ohio State: You know Tressel prepares his team year in and year out (unless its January against an SEC team). What will that defense look like? If Pryor has made big gains as a passer this off season then look for the Buck's offense to be scary good this year.

5) Alabama: St. Nick is a gamer of a coach. Bama's D will dominate teams and look for them to play with a purpose trying to forget their Sugar Bowl loss to Utah last year. Only question is that offense... does a new quarterback set them back at all?

6) Virginia Tech: Beamer Ball may just be back in Blacksburg. Taylor is good and that defense/special teams always makes things interesting.

7) USC: True Freshman Quarterback?!? Good thing they play in the PAC 10. Their road trip to Columbus in two weeks will be a major test.

8) Penn State: Joe Pa has another solid team and their one test is against Ohio State... at home. Don't be surprised if the Buckeyes roll into Happy Valley on November 7th to face an undefeated Nittany Lions squad with the BCS on their mind.

9) LSU: Big fan of Jefferson and the heart that the Tigers always play with. SEC West is killer this year with Bama and Ole Miss... not to mention a vastly improved Arkansas.

10) Mississippi: Snead is a big time quarterback in a league where big time quarterbacks are rare this season. Can Nutt put together a serious run or will all the hoopla of the season be too much for a school that has not been to the SEC Championship Game (and the only SEC West team) since its inception?

11) Georgia: Big time hit or big time miss. So many variables with this team from Joe Cox's quarterback play to who will step up in the skilled positions and if the O-Line will stay healthy and mesh together after last seasons growing pains. And that's just on offense. First game at Oklahoma State should say a lot.

12) Oklahoma State: Triple threat on offense with what might be the best quarterback, running back and wide receiver combination in the game. They will score but can they stop anyone? Three big tests in UGA, Texas and Oklahoma that will make or break the biggest build up of Cowboy football in school history.

13) Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson had the mojo working with the Jackets last season. Can their skill players hold up for a full year? Will other schools catch on to their gimmick offense? Don't be surprised to see Tech making some serious noise as the season wears on.

14) Boise State: The Blue Turfers always have a strong unit. This season should be no different and tomorrow's opener with Oregon should have some exciting action. If they look solid against the Ducks there is a serious chance for the Broncos to run the table. Don't be surprised if we have another BCS meltdown come November.

15) California: Cal draws USC at home in early October and if they can overcome the Trojans invasion of Berkley then they could have a serious shot at the Rose Bowl. The Bears shouldn't overlook UCLA who they play the following week in Pasadena... especially if they can beat the Men of Troy.

16) Florida State: Bobby Bowden returns for yet another season but the real question is whether or not Coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher can get the offense rolling in Tallahassee. Their season, and ability to compete for an ACC Championship, depend on it. If not, will the pressure for Bowden to step down intensify?

17) TCU: Does TCU make another run as a potential BCS buster? Early victories against "sound good" opponents Virginia and Clemson may help launch them to national troublemaker.

18) Oregon: 3 of first 4 games this season are Boise State, Utah and California. Not exactly Murder's Row but tough nonetheless. If they can get past these 3 games then they have a real chance to make some noise this season.

19) Utah: Can Utah build off a huge end to 2008 with their victory over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl? They play a respectable schedule (with dates against other potential BCS busters) and if they can run the table they have a real chance of going to back-to-back BCS Bowls.

20) BYU: The Cougars open against Oklahoma in the new Cowboys stadium and follow up with Florida State 2 weeks later. It's unlikely they can remain undefeated during those two games but if they can keep the Oklahoma game a respectable loss and defeat the Seminoles they have a real shot of making some noise.

21) North Carolina: The Tar Heels play a cake walk of a non-conference schedule. If Butch Davis can work some magic they should make things interesting in the ACC.

22) Iowa: The Hawkeye's play Ohio State in Columbus and miss Penn State altogether. Will Kirk Ferentz earn his $3 million + salary this year?

23) Nebraska: The Huskers play Virginia Tech away and Oklahoma at home this year in their biggest tests.

24) Kansas: Facing no major non-conference test but both Oklahoma and Texas, the Jayhawks are looking to do something special in Todd Reesing's final year.

25) Cincinnati: Having their entire defense, the Bearcats look to continue their success in the Big East. The big question is, does Brian Kelly bolt Cincinnati for greener football pastures?