College Football Week 1 Preview

The long wait is over! Roughly 8 months after QB Cam Newton led Auburn to the national title over Oregon, a season begins with questions surrounding those two teams and several others. Multiple top teams like Oklahoma and Alabama begin a quest to a national title with warm ups. Notable programs Ohio State, Michigan, and Florida begin with similarly easy games with new head coaches at the helm. And, there is some speculation that Notre Dame might be able to rebound this year after a series of tough years since QB Brady Quinn left South Bend. Add to that troubles at LSU and Miami (FL) as well as some early make or break games around the country.

The first week of the season will be headlined by Oregon against LSU in Dallas, TX and Boise State against Georgia in Atlanta, GA. Boise State, like last year, has a favorable schedule to run the table after this one if they win. Last year was another fairly successful year with picks and I begin a quest for a similar season of picks.

Like in the past, besides the top 5 games of the week; I will run down a few other interesting ones featuring top 25 teams as well as unranked matchups.

The intriguing other games of Week 1:

Thursday, September 1
North Carolina Central at Rutgers: This one will not jump off the page unless you, like me, went to Rutgers...or happen to be from North Carolina Central. Rutgers continue the quest to obtain that elusive Big East title and BCS bowl birth under head coach Greg Schiano. That prospect looks very challenging this year, but if they take one game at a time; you never know considering the Big East has had a revolving door of conference champions.

Saturday, September 3
Akron at No. 18 Ohio State: The post Jim Tressel-Terrelle Pryor era begins and it should start very good. How well they might do this year could be dictated by how sharp they are in this one.

Utah State at No. 23 Auburn: Auburn begins its defense of their national title without Newton and DT Nick Fairley. The two led the team is many ways last year. Utah State is not a push over game and if Auburn is not sharp they could flirt with being upset.

Kent State at No. 2 Alabama: Alabama is the early favorite for many to win the SEC and that usually means a birth in the national title game. HB Trent Richardson will now be the featured back with Heisman Winner, HB Mark Ingram, off to the New Orleans Saints.

Appalachian State at No. 13 Virginia Tech: Last year they started 0-2, which included a tough loss to Boise State at Fed Ex Field in Landover, MD. They would win the rest of their games after that. The Hokies could be a team outside the top 10 that makes a run and situates itself on the bubble of the national title game. Oh, and for those who forgot Appalachian State went to the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI and upset Michigan. Blacksburg is a similar tough environment, but this time around; an upset seems even less likely.

USF at No. 16 Notre Dame: South Florida head coach Skip Holtz returns to Notre Dame, where he played and his dad, Lou, coached. Notre Dame has some higher expectations this year and needs to avoid an upset to start their season. There is decent talent on the Notre Dame offense, but the defense must also play well and keep USF QB B.J. Daniels in check. He has speed and can be accurate when needed. The light will shine again in South Bend. The Irish will disappoint many with a loss and could set up another tough year.

San Jose State at No. 7 Stanford: Stanford only has Oregon standing in front of them on their path to a Pac-12 title in its inaugural season. That could mean Stanford and not Oregon goes to the national title game this year. QB Andrew Luck can further improve his stock this year and expect lots of points in this one by him.

East Carolina vs. No. 12 South Carolina (in Charlotte, NC): South Carolina had one of its best seasons ever as it fell just short of winning the SEC championship and likely garnering strong consideration for a national title birth. The expectations are high and they need to avoid trap games like this one before they even start their conference schedule with even more twists and turns.

Tulsa at No. 1 Oklahoma: Oklahoma starts the year as the top team in the nation. They run the table, they are guaranteed a shot at the national title. That has not happened for a No.1 since the USC glory days of the 2000s. Games ahead will be more challenging than this one, but getting the dust off now will go a long way.

Rice at Texas: Texas had its first lose season in a long time and head coach Mack Brown will have this squad fired up to start against Rice, but how they operate without Will Muschamp as their defensive coordinator could be telling if they do struggle again.


Now onto the top 5 of Week 1:

Top 5:

5) Indiana vs. Ball State (in Indianapolis, IN): A showcase type of game on neutral ground. Both teams want to start strong and ties and back and forth battles could be part of this one. In the end, Ball State scores late in the game to seal the win. PREDICTION: BALL STATE

4) Miami (FL) at Maryland (Monday, September 5th): The lights of Monday Night Football ascend on college football again for Labor Day. And it features an ACC team once again as two potential sleepers to Florida State's path to the conference crown set up for a key game. Miami (FL) has had to deal with a major off the field issue for the better part of the last month and will not have a few starters for this one. A new era begins in Maryland and they finished so so last year with some promise. They look to improve on that, but there are still a few crafty guys on Miami (FL) to potentially edge this one out; however the missing guys will hurt them in the end. Close one! PREDICTION: MARYLAND

3) No. 14 TCU at Baylor (Friday, September 2nd): I am not expecting a defensive struggle as Baylor's Robert Griffin III has the potential to put on a showcase on the national stage while TCU is breaking in a new quarterback in Casey Pachall with Andy Dalton's departure to the Cincinnati Bengals. TCU dominated this game last year, but TCU's defense will have much more pressure on it especially as Griffin matures as a big player. TCU ran the table last year, but potentially could start 2011 0-1. However, they will do enough to keep Griffin's damage to a decent minimum as they make a late defensive play that seals the game. PREDICTION: TCU

2) No. 5 Boise State vs. No. 19 Georgia (in Atlanta, GA): Boise State's quest for more respect takes them to Atlanta, GA and a game against No. 19 Georgia coming off a losing season. The Bulldogs will have that on their mind on top of the pressure of the SEC schedule ahead. Boise State downed Virginia Tech last year and fell a couple kicks short of an undefeated season and potential title game birth. Their schedule looks good again after Georgia. Georgia has something to prove as well as they have gone from top tier program in the SEC to bottom half embarrassment. Boise State QB Kellen Moore will be the difference maker in this one. He plays big in big games and barring an unusual performance by him; they should find a way to do it again. PREDICTION: BOISE STATE

1) No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 4 LSU (in Arlington, TX): Not often do you start a season with a top 5 battle. It usually takes a season of games to get to that point (not counting the SEC sometimes). Speed, speed, speed is the thing to watch in this one. They both process a lot of it. LSU's recent off the field issues has put a big warning sign up for them as they turn to QB Jarrett Lee to help guide them to a big premier victory. The turnover battle could be of extra importance as in games like this; turnovers are much harder to overcome against superior talent. A trick play is also not out of the question with both of these head coaches. Lead changes will also be the norm here. LSU scores late, but leaves enough time for LaMichael James to put an early stamp on his run for a Heisman with a final score. PREDICTION: OREGON