College Football Predictions, Week 1

It's hard to believe, but the greatest sport in the world returns Thursday night. That of which I am speaking is college football. With that comes the first weekly installment of predictions.

Once again, I will predict and comment on 20 games each week. I will pick all games involving Big 12 teams, plus other games of interest. Without further adieu, here are this week's picks:

North Texas at Oklahoma: Todd Dodge finds out there is a big difference between coaching Southlake Carroll against Richland or Haltom and coaching North Texas against the mighty Sooners. Pick: OU
Kent State at Iowa State (Thursday): Gene Chizik makes his debut as Cyclones coach against a team picked by some to win the East division of the MAC. This will be a tight game, but Iowa State comes through at home. Pick: ISU
Arkansas State at Texas: Arkansas State earns a big paycheck for their athletic department, while Texas gets a win. Pick: Texas
Colorado vs. Colorado State at Denver: Breakfast at Invesco Field, as this game kicks off at 10 AM local time. Both teams stunk last year, and don't look to be much better this year. Pick: Colorado
Missouri vs. Illinois at St. Louis: Could this be a future conference matchup in the Big 10? The Tigers aren't worried about that right now, as they look to be contenders in the Big 12 North. Pick: Missouri
Nevada at Nebraska: Nebraska starts with a respectable non-conference opponent in Lincoln. Huskers start off well this week. Pick: Nebraska
Baylor at TCU: TCU has a good team. Baylor is a bottomfeeder with little hope in sight. Pick: TCU
Oklahoma State at Georgia: Cowboys go between the hedges for a showdown with the Bulldogs. Some see this as a potential upset. I don't. Pick: Georgia
Central Michigan at Kansas: This is a make-or-break season for Mark and the Fighting Manginos. Win #1 comes in Lawrence against the defending MAC champions. Pick: KU
Montana State at Texas A&M: The last time Montana State visited a Big 12 school, they came away with a win at Colorado. That won't happen this time. Pick: Aggies
Kansas State at Auburn: We now know Bill Snyder is no longer the K-State coach, as he never would have scheduled a deadly road trip to the Loveliest Village on the Plains. KSU will wish they were back home playing a directional school. Pick: Auburn
Texas Tech at SMU (Monday): Tech gets to play a winnable game in front of alumni, students, and recruits in Dallas. Pick: Tech
Tennessee at Cal: Last season, Cal went to Knoxville as a national championship contender, only to be humbled by the Vols. This year, Cal gets revenge as Smokey visits Berkeley. Pick: Cal
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame: Battle of the Gold Helmets. This will be one of the better games of the weekend, but the Irish will have too much magic for the Ramblin' Wreck. Pick: ND
Wake Forest at Boston College: Wake Forest begins defense of their ACC championship with a Weekend In New England. I have a hard time picking against BC here, though I'm not sure which team is better. Pick: BC
Washington State at Wisconsin: The Cougars aren't afraid of anyone, and take the trip to Madison to face the Badgers. It's hard to win in Madison, and Wazzu won't be that fortunate. Pick: Wisconsin
Purdue at Toledo: Rockets look to recover from a rare losing season, and have a home game against a Big 10 team. This will be a good game, and the Boilers will have to fight for a win. Pick: Purdue
Houston at Oregon: The Coogs make their way to the Northwest to face the Ducks. Ducks go quack all over the Cougars. Pick: Oregon
Florida State at Clemson (Monday): The Bowden Bowl. Papa Bobby Bowden replaced five assistant coaches in the off-season in an attempt to restore FSU to glory. Clemson hasn't been the same since FSU joined the ACC in 1992. Death Valley will be rocking. Clemson has won three of the last four in this series. Make that four of the last five. Pick: Clemson
UMass-Dartmouth at Worcester Polytechnic Institute: This isn't Dartmouth of the Ivy League, but the University of Massachusetts campus at Dartmouth, MA. They went 5-4 last season, while WPI went 3-6. Pick: UMass-Dartmouth.