A week off last week, 3-2-1, the week before, moving the season record to 12-10-2. This weekend should knock a few more teams out of the running for one of the playoff spots. On to the picks.
Clemson at Boston College Over 45 - The Tigers can score a few points. The Eagles can score a few as well. Neither team has been awe-inspiring on defense. Combined, they should be able to score/give up three touchdowns each and someone will have to get one more.
Marshall -22 at Florida International - Marshall is still rolling and moved up to #25 this past week and knows they have to keep it going if they want to be the representative from the Other 5 conference in the New Year's games. The Thundering Herd has been deadly in the first half and should get up big on the Golden Panthers. Marshall moves to 7-0, and if you can get them in the first half at -14 or less, jump on it as well.
UCLA -7 at Cal - The Bruins have not looked good the last two weeks, losing to Utah and Oregon at home. Now they go on the road to a place they haven't won at since 1998 and the last five games in Berkeley have been double-digit losses. UCLA has to be ornery after the last couple games and the sideline spat between their head coach and defensive coordinator last weekend. While the Bears are 4-2 right now, they haven't beaten anyone with a winning record. The Bruins take out the frustrations of the last couple weeks on Cal and have this one locked up by the third quarter.
at Northern Illinois -13.5 Miami (OH) - Another team coming off a rough weekend, losing to Central Michigan at home and ending a number of winning streaks that they had going on (home field, MAC, etc.). Expect the Huskies to be locked in and to rip the 1-6 Redhawks apart.
Missouri +5.5 at Florida - The Gators are a mess and are looking at a two quarterback system this Saturday. The Tigers were awful last week, getting shutout by Georgia 34-0 at home and Maty Mauk being a turnover machine. He can't be that bad two weeks in a row and Florida will be pushed to win this game by more than a touchdown. Missouri covers and might even sprinkle a little on the money line for the Tigers to win outright.
Western Kentucky -4.5 at Florida Atlantic - The Hilltoppers have been putting points on everyone this season...unfortunately for them, they've been giving up even more. Meanwhile, the Owls have only gotten past 21 points once this season. Western Kentucky should be able to lay it on FAU and still think about making a bowl game.
Michigan State -16.5 at Indiana - The Spartans allowed a late cover two weeks ago against Nebraska and were less than impressive against Purdue last week. The door has been opened for them to get back into the playoffs and smoking the Hoosiers this weekend will help keep them in the Playoff Committee's minds (though they should still be ranked lower than Oregon...when you lose head-to-head, you should be lower). Sparty rolls.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Week 6 Picks
Went 3-2-1 last week (thanks Bowling Green for giving up a late TD to UMass and turning a win to a tie). Season record moved above .500, 9-8-1. Just quick ones today.
at Tennessee -2.5 Florida - Tennessee has looked fairly good. Florida QB Jeff Driskel still seems terrible. Vols at home.
Alabama -4.5 at Mississippi - Gameday will be fun for Ole Miss but then then they have to go play a game against the team that's been the best in college football over the last five years. Tide rolls.
Baylor -15 at Texas - Texas players shouldn't be running their mouths when they're not very good. Bears stomp them again.
at Auburn -7.5 LSU - These games tend to be close but Auburn seems to be too much for LSU's young defense. Auburn wins it going away.
Pitt +5 at Virginia - The Panthers can't be as bad as they looked against Akron last week. Virginia can play defense but the offense is still suspect. Pitt covers and probably wins the game.
at Oklahoma State -16.5 Iowa State - The Cowboys have only lost to Florida State in the opener and have scored on everybody. The Cyclones have only beaten Iowa (and the Big Ten is not very good this year) and give up points to good teams. Cowboys will get to at least 40 today and win easily.
at Tennessee -2.5 Florida - Tennessee has looked fairly good. Florida QB Jeff Driskel still seems terrible. Vols at home.
Alabama -4.5 at Mississippi - Gameday will be fun for Ole Miss but then then they have to go play a game against the team that's been the best in college football over the last five years. Tide rolls.
Baylor -15 at Texas - Texas players shouldn't be running their mouths when they're not very good. Bears stomp them again.
at Auburn -7.5 LSU - These games tend to be close but Auburn seems to be too much for LSU's young defense. Auburn wins it going away.
Pitt +5 at Virginia - The Panthers can't be as bad as they looked against Akron last week. Virginia can play defense but the offense is still suspect. Pitt covers and probably wins the game.
at Oklahoma State -16.5 Iowa State - The Cowboys have only lost to Florida State in the opener and have scored on everybody. The Cyclones have only beaten Iowa (and the Big Ten is not very good this year) and give up points to good teams. Cowboys will get to at least 40 today and win easily.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Week 5 Picks
Random musings from the past week...
Why don't teams line up under center when they have less than a yard to go? You don't have to take every snap from the shotgun and it just seems like you put yourself at a disadvantage starting 4 to 7 yards deep to gain that one yard. Clemson, you were a shining example of how not to gain less than a yard multiple times last week against Florida State, including a snap over your head at the goal line that probably cost you a victory. But Clemson wasn't the only one, as multiple teams have failed to convert short distance by starting in the shotgun.
If UCLA plays like they did in the 2nd and 3rd quarters last night against Arizona State, no one is going to beat them this year. Down 17-6 and then outscore the Sun Devils 42-3 over the next 22 minutes. Offense, defense and special teams. Best performance on all sides of the ball by a team I've seen this year for a sustained period.
Current Final Four (in alphabetical order): Alabama (defense not up to Nick Saban standards yet, but the Lane Kiffin offense is humming), Oklahoma (offense and defense are hammering opponents), Oregon (the seven sacks allowed last week against Washington State are a concern, but as long as Marcus Mariota is healthy, the Ducks will roll) and UCLA (as long as they continue to do what they did to Arizona State).
Outside looking in: Texas A&M (who have they beaten? South Carolina's defense isn't very good.), Florida State (not nearly as dominant as last year), Baylor (the Bears will get their chance to move in when they get into Big 12 play) and Nebraska (someone from the Big Ten has to be in the discussion. Michigan State, you'll get in the discussion if you don't lose again.)
Dumpster Fire Four: SMU (lone offensive touchdown on a Hail Mary at the end of a game they lost 43-6 to North Texas), Connecticut (offense is anemic and lone win is 19-16 over Stony Brook), Massachusetts (you know you're horrible when the MAC has asked you to leave), Vanderbilt (their only win was holding off Massachusetts...see above) and UNLV (only win a 13-12 victory over Northern Colorado).
3-2 last week on the picks, taking the season record to 6-6. Time to get above .500.
TCU -32 at SMU - The Mustangs can't score, averaging 4 points per game. The Horned Frogs have the defense to potentially pitch the shutout and the offense will get their work in and get their points. TCU wins by at least 37.
Maryland +4 at Indiana - The Hoosiers had a big upset win last week against Missouri. The Terps blasted Syracuse. Here's thinking Indiana is still suffering from a hangover win, the Terps keep it close and might even win this straight up.
at Penn State -11 vs Northwestern - Northwestern has been a mess since the middle of last year. Penn State is unbeaten and unbelievably could be the Big Ten champion if they keep winning. The dream will stay alive this week as the Nittany Lions go to 5-0.
Bowling Green -5 at Massachusetts - The Minutemen are terrible. Bowling Green isn't great, but they should be able to beat UMass by more than five.
Iowa -9 at Purdue - This one's tough. Iowa has been way, way overrated for a number of years. Purdue is really, really bad. The Hawkeyes might still be reveling in the fact that they beat another Power 5 conference team last week and come out flat, but the Boilermakers defense is nearly non-existent and the offense isn't much better. Iowa gets it done...barely.
Baylor -21.5 at Iowa State - Baylor has picked up right where they left off last regular season, destroying opponents in the first 30 minutes and coasting to victory. The offense takes a little dip when they go on the road, but three touchdowns shouldn't be a problem. The Bears by 30 plus.
Why don't teams line up under center when they have less than a yard to go? You don't have to take every snap from the shotgun and it just seems like you put yourself at a disadvantage starting 4 to 7 yards deep to gain that one yard. Clemson, you were a shining example of how not to gain less than a yard multiple times last week against Florida State, including a snap over your head at the goal line that probably cost you a victory. But Clemson wasn't the only one, as multiple teams have failed to convert short distance by starting in the shotgun.
If UCLA plays like they did in the 2nd and 3rd quarters last night against Arizona State, no one is going to beat them this year. Down 17-6 and then outscore the Sun Devils 42-3 over the next 22 minutes. Offense, defense and special teams. Best performance on all sides of the ball by a team I've seen this year for a sustained period.
Current Final Four (in alphabetical order): Alabama (defense not up to Nick Saban standards yet, but the Lane Kiffin offense is humming), Oklahoma (offense and defense are hammering opponents), Oregon (the seven sacks allowed last week against Washington State are a concern, but as long as Marcus Mariota is healthy, the Ducks will roll) and UCLA (as long as they continue to do what they did to Arizona State).
Outside looking in: Texas A&M (who have they beaten? South Carolina's defense isn't very good.), Florida State (not nearly as dominant as last year), Baylor (the Bears will get their chance to move in when they get into Big 12 play) and Nebraska (someone from the Big Ten has to be in the discussion. Michigan State, you'll get in the discussion if you don't lose again.)
Dumpster Fire Four: SMU (lone offensive touchdown on a Hail Mary at the end of a game they lost 43-6 to North Texas), Connecticut (offense is anemic and lone win is 19-16 over Stony Brook), Massachusetts (you know you're horrible when the MAC has asked you to leave), Vanderbilt (their only win was holding off Massachusetts...see above) and UNLV (only win a 13-12 victory over Northern Colorado).
3-2 last week on the picks, taking the season record to 6-6. Time to get above .500.
Maryland +4 at Indiana - The Hoosiers had a big upset win last week against Missouri. The Terps blasted Syracuse. Here's thinking Indiana is still suffering from a hangover win, the Terps keep it close and might even win this straight up.
at Penn State -11 vs Northwestern - Northwestern has been a mess since the middle of last year. Penn State is unbeaten and unbelievably could be the Big Ten champion if they keep winning. The dream will stay alive this week as the Nittany Lions go to 5-0.
Bowling Green -5 at Massachusetts - The Minutemen are terrible. Bowling Green isn't great, but they should be able to beat UMass by more than five.
Iowa -9 at Purdue - This one's tough. Iowa has been way, way overrated for a number of years. Purdue is really, really bad. The Hawkeyes might still be reveling in the fact that they beat another Power 5 conference team last week and come out flat, but the Boilermakers defense is nearly non-existent and the offense isn't much better. Iowa gets it done...barely.Baylor -21.5 at Iowa State - Baylor has picked up right where they left off last regular season, destroying opponents in the first 30 minutes and coasting to victory. The offense takes a little dip when they go on the road, but three touchdowns shouldn't be a problem. The Bears by 30 plus.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Week 4 Picks
A 3-4 start to the season on the picks. Time to get back to making picks and trying to turn around the record.
South Carolina -21.5 at Vanderbilt - The Gamecocks had a nice win against Georgia last week, even if it was only by inches. Vanderbilt had to fight to hold off a terrible Massachusetts team. Chance for Spurrier's team to flex their muscle and tune up their offense before getting to the tougher part of their schedule. South Carolina should have no trouble with the Commodores.
Marshall -9 at Akron - The Thundering Herd has an outside, outside chance of making it to one of the big bowls as one of the Other 5 Conferences representatives. To do that, they'll need to dominate everyone on an extremely weak schedule. The Zips were good against Howard in their opener, not so good against Penn State in their next game. Marshall will get up by double-digits in the first half and cruise to 4-0.
Oklahoma -7.5 at West Virginia - A couple years ago, the Sooners escaped Morgantown in a wild game, 50-49. Oklahoma's defense is looking absolutely nasty so far this year and their offense is burying people early in the game and then just easing to victory. West Virginia gave Alabama a game in their opener but I'm not sure the Crimson Tide defense is quite as good as it's been the last few years. The Mountaineers score some points, but too little late as Oklahoma puts in another claim to be one of the final four.
North Carolina +2.5 at East Carolina - For all the flak the Big Ten takes about being not very good, the ACC isn't much better. They do have the defending National Champion in Florida State, but the rest of the conference isn't great. East Carolina played South Carolina tough a couple weeks ago and upset Virgina Tech last week. This feels like a hangover game for the Pirates and the Tar Heels get by.
Texas A&M -34 at SMU - Going with all road teams this week and while the spread is large, the Aggies are rolling on offense and SMU is still trying to figure things out after head coach June Jones stepped down after two games this year. A&M needs the style points to stay in the discussion for the final four and beating SMU by less than five touchdowns won't help that. Aggies tempo wears out the Mustangs and they stay unbeaten.
South Carolina -21.5 at Vanderbilt - The Gamecocks had a nice win against Georgia last week, even if it was only by inches. Vanderbilt had to fight to hold off a terrible Massachusetts team. Chance for Spurrier's team to flex their muscle and tune up their offense before getting to the tougher part of their schedule. South Carolina should have no trouble with the Commodores.
Marshall -9 at Akron - The Thundering Herd has an outside, outside chance of making it to one of the big bowls as one of the Other 5 Conferences representatives. To do that, they'll need to dominate everyone on an extremely weak schedule. The Zips were good against Howard in their opener, not so good against Penn State in their next game. Marshall will get up by double-digits in the first half and cruise to 4-0.
Oklahoma -7.5 at West Virginia - A couple years ago, the Sooners escaped Morgantown in a wild game, 50-49. Oklahoma's defense is looking absolutely nasty so far this year and their offense is burying people early in the game and then just easing to victory. West Virginia gave Alabama a game in their opener but I'm not sure the Crimson Tide defense is quite as good as it's been the last few years. The Mountaineers score some points, but too little late as Oklahoma puts in another claim to be one of the final four.
North Carolina +2.5 at East Carolina - For all the flak the Big Ten takes about being not very good, the ACC isn't much better. They do have the defending National Champion in Florida State, but the rest of the conference isn't great. East Carolina played South Carolina tough a couple weeks ago and upset Virgina Tech last week. This feels like a hangover game for the Pirates and the Tar Heels get by.
Texas A&M -34 at SMU - Going with all road teams this week and while the spread is large, the Aggies are rolling on offense and SMU is still trying to figure things out after head coach June Jones stepped down after two games this year. A&M needs the style points to stay in the discussion for the final four and beating SMU by less than five touchdowns won't help that. Aggies tempo wears out the Mustangs and they stay unbeaten.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
The Little Ten
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| Even FCS schools are taking shots at the Big Ten. |
Yes, there was some cheering to be heard. Ohio State bounced back and took out Kent State 66-0. And Michigan beat Miami (the bad one from Ohio, not the okay one from Florida). Hey, don't laugh, the MAC has owned the Big Ten this year. Nebraska shook off the near loss to McNeese State by putting up "double nickels" on a Fresno State team that played marginal defense last year and now plays none as they gave up at least "half-a-hundred" for the third straight game. Penn State beat new Big Ten member Rutgers 13-10 with the help of five Gary Nova interceptions, so that's a wash.
Everything else was a disaster. Bowling Green beat Indiana (the MAC is owning the Big Ten's middle tier teams this year); West Virginia got by Maryland in overtime; Iowa decided to try and ice the Iowa State kicker with a timeout...he missed the kick that didn't count then nailed the game winner. Thanks, Coach Ferentz, for that brilliant piece of strategy. Three losses in four years to the Cyclones. Notre Dame whipped Purdue, but in a slight moral victory, it was close at the half.
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| "We should have moved to the Big Ten instead of the Big XII... neither one can count and we could make a couple Rose Bowls." -Gary Patterson, TCU Head Coach |
Illinois wrapped it up by losing 44-19 to a Washington team that had struggled with Hawaii and Eastern Washington. And sticking with Big Ten delusions of grandeur, Illini Head Coach Tim Beckham had this to say: "You take out 21 points on three big plays and we're in this football game." Ummm, okay. You still lose 23-19, but if that counts for something in the Big Ten, you go ahead and take that. I guess it's better than losing by two touchdowns or more.
Now we roll into week four and conference play starts in earnest. And beating other Big Ten schools just isn't going to help the perception of the conference. Good job Big Ten on going 1-10 against the other Power 5 conferences (Rutgers beating Washington State on the opening Thursday). That's the same amount of wins as the Sun Belt has against the Power 5 (Louisiana-Monroe beating Wake Forest the first weekend).
The chances of the Big Ten getting a team into the College Football Playoff this year is dwindling each week, and their fans are going to go ballistic if two SEC teams get in over their conference champion, but you only have yourselves to blame, Big Ten.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Week 1 Picks
Started off the season 1-1 in the early games. Who knew South Carolina would completely forget how to cover and tackle? On to Saturday's games. Just quick blurbs on the games.
Florida State -17.5 Oklahoma State - Defending National Champions are still loaded and should handle the Cowboys easily.
UCLA -19 at Virginia - The opening game in the Bruins drive for one of the playoff spots. Slow start, roll in the second half.
Boston College -17 at Massachusetts - BC will run all over the hapless Minutemen. Will probably slow it down a little in the 4th quarter.
Marshall -24 at Miami, OH - The Thundering Herd destroyed Miami last year 52-14. The Redhawks aren't vastly better this year and Marshall returns their quarterback and big receivers. This one gets ugly in a hurry.
Ohio State -14.5 at Navy - Braxton Miller might be out for the season, but the Buckeyes are still light years ahead in talent over the Midshipmen. Ohio State gets up early and gets their backups experience.
Florida State -17.5 Oklahoma State - Defending National Champions are still loaded and should handle the Cowboys easily.
UCLA -19 at Virginia - The opening game in the Bruins drive for one of the playoff spots. Slow start, roll in the second half.
Boston College -17 at Massachusetts - BC will run all over the hapless Minutemen. Will probably slow it down a little in the 4th quarter.
Marshall -24 at Miami, OH - The Thundering Herd destroyed Miami last year 52-14. The Redhawks aren't vastly better this year and Marshall returns their quarterback and big receivers. This one gets ugly in a hurry.
Ohio State -14.5 at Navy - Braxton Miller might be out for the season, but the Buckeyes are still light years ahead in talent over the Midshipmen. Ohio State gets up early and gets their backups experience.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
It's Back!
Once again, the best time of the year is upon us. Less than 24 hours until the start of another college football season. In the next 72 hours, the 2014 season will be well underway, and most teams will still have their hopes of being one of the Final Four for the first college football playoff intact; since for the most part they scheduled schools who would be challenged beating an egg. Hats off to those schools who actually scheduled someone who has a pulse.
Finally, the commissioners of the major conferences decided that a playoff format was the best way to determine a true champion (like all the other college sports). Sure, the allure of all that money they were leaving on the table the last dozen years or so probably had something to do with the decision, but at least they finally came around to what the fans have been wanting for decades and got rid of that BCS atrocity.
I always love the start of the college football season. It's like Christmas morning when I was 10. But this year has the new wrinkle of the playoff. And someone is going to be disappointed. With only four spots for the Power Five Conferences, someone is going to be left without a chair (maybe only three spots if the SEC has their way...who am I kidding. If the SEC had their way, it would be four SEC teams in the playoff.). My hope is that it makes the regular season even more important and if they truly look at strength of schedule to determine the four teams and someone gets left out because of it -- looking at you Oklahoma, Baylor and Ohio State -- it will cause teams to schedule even better games during the regular season in the future, which just makes every Saturday even better.
So, who gets those four golden tickets this year? Florida State seems like a lock for one of them. They're still loaded, have the returning Heisman Trophy winner and have a schedule that looks very manageable. The winner of the SEC is almost assuredly in, just based on their track record the last eight years. The winner of the Pac-12 is probably in, as long as they don't have more than one loss; two losses is possible, but they better be really close or fluky. That leaves one spot for either the Big 10 (12? 14?), the Big XII (X?) or SEC runner-up. Ohio State was probably set up pretty well, with a cream puff schedule, but the loss of quarterback Braxton Miller for the year probably dashes those dreams. I'll go with a final four of Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma and Alabama.
And as I do every year, my predictions for the UCLA Bruins for my lifelong friend and Bruins fan who encouraged me to start this blog based on my e-mail predictions for his Bruins. All of this is contingent on Brett Hundley starting at quarterback all year for UCLA. Returning for another season as a QB when you have an option to go pro has not worked out well in recent years for Pac-12 quarterbacks (Matt Barkley the most recent example) and here's hoping that's not the case for Hundley.
at Virginia - A nice out of conference opponent to start the season, though the
early morning start on the east coast has been an issue in the past for Pac-12
teams. Still, UCLA should be more than ready to make an opening weekend statement and should pull away in the second
half to knock off the Cavaliers. 1-0
Memphis - Outside of Cal, probably the easiest game on the Bruins schedule. A nice home opener and a 2-0 start to the season. (Memphis does have some decent cheerleaders, for those attending the game.)
at Texas - This should be an interesting game...on the Longhorn side. Will they have bought into what new head coach Charlie Strong tried to instill this off-season or will they still be struggling with their identity? Texas is a little short-handed for this match-up and the Bruins finish out of conference play perfect at 3-0.
at Arizona State - Last year's game was a disaster for the Bruins, falling behind big in the first half. They rallied to make it close, but still came up short, essentially costing them a shot at a third straight Pac-12 South title. Payback is a bitch, and the Sun Devils are going to get theirs. 4-0
Utah - If the Bruins are serious about being one of the Final Four this year, they need to bury the Utes, which they should do, so they can get rested for the next test to see if they really belong. 5-0
Oregon - This is very likely a preview of the Pac-12 Championship game. The Ducks have owned UCLA the last five years and it hasn't even been remotely close, with the Bruins giving up points in huge bunches. But the Bruins have Oregon at home and the Ducks seem to always have that one hiccup game a year. Stil, I expect the Ducks to be rolling by this time and they'll win by double digits. The loss won't kill the Bruins chances for the Final Four, but it will put Oregon in the driver's seat for one of the spots. 5-1
at Cal - The Bears were an absolute mess last year, with a defense that was shredded week in and week out. In the past, this still might have been a problem for UCLA, as strange things have happened in Berkeley. Not this year. The starters are out by the end of the third quarter and the only question will be how many style points do the Bruins want. 6-1
at Colorado - The Buffaloes haven't been a good football team for quite awhile now. UCLA should be able to get up early and coast to a three-touchdown win. 7-1
Arizona - This will be interesting. The Bruins have won the last two against the Wildcats, but are 3-6 the last nine years, with some ugly, ugly blowout losses in there, when they were clearly the better team. Bruins make it three in a row this year. 8-1
at Washington - The Huskies should be a better team defensively with Chris Petersen at the helm. It probably won't be enough to stop the Bruins this year. 9-1
USC - Rivalry games are always tricky, and if the Trojans manage to stay healthy all year, this could be for the Pac-12 South. It's at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins have something special going on this year and USC won't have enough depth to overcome a team on a mission. 10-1
Stanford - Like the Ducks, the Cardinal are another team that has had the Bruins number the last few years. Granted, Stanford has been incredibly good the last five years and have beaten almost everyone they've played, especially in the Pac-12. But this year feels like it will be different. Stanford coach David Shaw didn't seem to adjust well to a changing game plan in the Rose Bowl against Michigan State (and a few other games during the regular season that they still won). Jim Mora will have his team mixing it up on offense and defense and the Pac-12 South will be UCLA's for the third time in four years. 11-1
An 11-1 season. This will bring back memories of the Bob Toledo/Cade McNown days, when UCLA won 20 in a row and then a hurricane (and the Hurricanes) messed up everything (and the fact that the Bruins forgot how to tackle). Pac-12 South Champions and a rematch with Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game. Unfortunately for the Bruins, the Ducks get the better of them again and UCLA has to settle for a home game on New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl.
A couple of early picks before Saturday's full slate of games.
at South Carolina -10.5 Texas A&M - The Aggies defense was terrible last year. The Gamecocks should be able to take advantage of that. South Carolina hasn't lost an opener since 1999, and have won 7 of the last 10 openers by double digits.
BYU -16.5 at Connecticut - The Huskies are not a good team. They lost to Towson 33-18 in their opener last year. I'll take the Cougars to run, run and run some more against UConn and the BYU defense to stifle the Huskies offense.
Enjoy the dawn of a new era of college football...and the start of a whole bunch of new arguments on who should be the fourth team in.
Also, if you get the SEC channel, there was a pretty good documentary that ran tonight about Steve Spurrier called "The Believer". Love him or hate him (I fall in the former camp), it brought back some great memories about the Fun and Gun offense of those 1990's Florida teams...and it even included that epic beatdown they took from Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. Watch it if you get the chance.
Finally, the commissioners of the major conferences decided that a playoff format was the best way to determine a true champion (like all the other college sports). Sure, the allure of all that money they were leaving on the table the last dozen years or so probably had something to do with the decision, but at least they finally came around to what the fans have been wanting for decades and got rid of that BCS atrocity.
I always love the start of the college football season. It's like Christmas morning when I was 10. But this year has the new wrinkle of the playoff. And someone is going to be disappointed. With only four spots for the Power Five Conferences, someone is going to be left without a chair (maybe only three spots if the SEC has their way...who am I kidding. If the SEC had their way, it would be four SEC teams in the playoff.). My hope is that it makes the regular season even more important and if they truly look at strength of schedule to determine the four teams and someone gets left out because of it -- looking at you Oklahoma, Baylor and Ohio State -- it will cause teams to schedule even better games during the regular season in the future, which just makes every Saturday even better.
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| I LOVE Crab Legs!!! - Jameis Winston, Florida State QB |
And as I do every year, my predictions for the UCLA Bruins for my lifelong friend and Bruins fan who encouraged me to start this blog based on my e-mail predictions for his Bruins. All of this is contingent on Brett Hundley starting at quarterback all year for UCLA. Returning for another season as a QB when you have an option to go pro has not worked out well in recent years for Pac-12 quarterbacks (Matt Barkley the most recent example) and here's hoping that's not the case for Hundley.
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| We play football?!?! |
Memphis - Outside of Cal, probably the easiest game on the Bruins schedule. A nice home opener and a 2-0 start to the season. (Memphis does have some decent cheerleaders, for those attending the game.)
at Texas - This should be an interesting game...on the Longhorn side. Will they have bought into what new head coach Charlie Strong tried to instill this off-season or will they still be struggling with their identity? Texas is a little short-handed for this match-up and the Bruins finish out of conference play perfect at 3-0.
at Arizona State - Last year's game was a disaster for the Bruins, falling behind big in the first half. They rallied to make it close, but still came up short, essentially costing them a shot at a third straight Pac-12 South title. Payback is a bitch, and the Sun Devils are going to get theirs. 4-0
Utah - If the Bruins are serious about being one of the Final Four this year, they need to bury the Utes, which they should do, so they can get rested for the next test to see if they really belong. 5-0
Oregon - This is very likely a preview of the Pac-12 Championship game. The Ducks have owned UCLA the last five years and it hasn't even been remotely close, with the Bruins giving up points in huge bunches. But the Bruins have Oregon at home and the Ducks seem to always have that one hiccup game a year. Stil, I expect the Ducks to be rolling by this time and they'll win by double digits. The loss won't kill the Bruins chances for the Final Four, but it will put Oregon in the driver's seat for one of the spots. 5-1
at Cal - The Bears were an absolute mess last year, with a defense that was shredded week in and week out. In the past, this still might have been a problem for UCLA, as strange things have happened in Berkeley. Not this year. The starters are out by the end of the third quarter and the only question will be how many style points do the Bruins want. 6-1
at Colorado - The Buffaloes haven't been a good football team for quite awhile now. UCLA should be able to get up early and coast to a three-touchdown win. 7-1
Arizona - This will be interesting. The Bruins have won the last two against the Wildcats, but are 3-6 the last nine years, with some ugly, ugly blowout losses in there, when they were clearly the better team. Bruins make it three in a row this year. 8-1
at Washington - The Huskies should be a better team defensively with Chris Petersen at the helm. It probably won't be enough to stop the Bruins this year. 9-1
USC - Rivalry games are always tricky, and if the Trojans manage to stay healthy all year, this could be for the Pac-12 South. It's at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins have something special going on this year and USC won't have enough depth to overcome a team on a mission. 10-1
Stanford - Like the Ducks, the Cardinal are another team that has had the Bruins number the last few years. Granted, Stanford has been incredibly good the last five years and have beaten almost everyone they've played, especially in the Pac-12. But this year feels like it will be different. Stanford coach David Shaw didn't seem to adjust well to a changing game plan in the Rose Bowl against Michigan State (and a few other games during the regular season that they still won). Jim Mora will have his team mixing it up on offense and defense and the Pac-12 South will be UCLA's for the third time in four years. 11-1
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| Our "O Face" |
A couple of early picks before Saturday's full slate of games.
at South Carolina -10.5 Texas A&M - The Aggies defense was terrible last year. The Gamecocks should be able to take advantage of that. South Carolina hasn't lost an opener since 1999, and have won 7 of the last 10 openers by double digits.
BYU -16.5 at Connecticut - The Huskies are not a good team. They lost to Towson 33-18 in their opener last year. I'll take the Cougars to run, run and run some more against UConn and the BYU defense to stifle the Huskies offense.
Enjoy the dawn of a new era of college football...and the start of a whole bunch of new arguments on who should be the fourth team in.
Also, if you get the SEC channel, there was a pretty good documentary that ran tonight about Steve Spurrier called "The Believer". Love him or hate him (I fall in the former camp), it brought back some great memories about the Fun and Gun offense of those 1990's Florida teams...and it even included that epic beatdown they took from Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. Watch it if you get the chance.
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