College Football Ramblings, Early Games

As I hoped, Oklahoma took Miami behind the woodshed. The Sooners won 51-13, and it wasn't even that close. Sam Bradford threw five touchdown passes, including three to Malcolm Kelly. In two games, the Sooners are averaging 65 points per game. OU is loaded.

Elsewhere, West Virginia got a scare for a time in the Friends of Coal Bowl, before pulling away to defeat Marshall 48-23 in Huntington. Marshall led 13-6 before the Mountaineers found another gear in the second half and pounded the Herd. Friends of Coal is a good idea. Here in Texas, we need something called Friends of Oil.

Nebraska went on the road and held off Wake Forest, 20-17. Wake Forest had their chances to beat the Huskers, but couldn't pull it off. The Huskers now get ready to host USC.

Minnesota has a hard time with the Mid-American Conference. For the second week in a row, the Gophers struggled against a MAC team, but won in triple overtime over Miami (Ohio), 41-35. I heard the MAC was looking for a new member.

Speaking of the MAC, Temple must be really, really bad. They were pasted by Buffalo, 42-7. That is awful. Buffalo is glad someone else now gets to dwell in the basement of the MAC. Plenty of good seats available at the Linc for Temple football.

The biggies are tonight, including Texas vs. TCU and LSU vs. Virginia Tech.

More comments later.....

Don't Forget Your Power Towel

This is Kansas State's attempt to involve their students in their games.

It's not Hot, Hot, Hot, but it's pretty cheesy.

NFL Picks, Week 1

The National Football League gets an early start, with the Thursday night season kickoff in Indianapolis. The Colts open defense of their Super Bowl championship with a home game against the Saints. With that being said, it's time for an early set of picks for the first weekend of games in the NFL.

NY Giants at Dallas: The Sunday Night game pits the Giants and the Fighting Tony Romos. The Giants play their first regular season game without retired RB Tiki Barber. Dallas continues to be a good place for ribs, if Tony Romo has his way. Of course I'm picking the Cowboys. Pick: Dallas
New Orleans at Indianapolis: America's two darling teams collide in Naptown. Pick against the Colts on the night they get their Super Bowl rings? Come on.. Pick: Colts
Kansas City at Houston: Not much is expected from the Chiefs this season. Not much is ever expected from the Texans. The Chiefs were once known as the Texans. The Dallas Texans, that is. Larry Johnson rolls over the Red, White, and Blue. Pick: Kansas City
Miami at Washington: Stink Bowl. Neither of these teams are very good. I'm glad I won't be stuck watching it. Pick: Washington
Denver at Buffalo: Broncos are glad they are making this trip in September and not December. Denver has more talent. Pick: Denver
Carolina at St. Louis: Which Panthers team shows up this year? Which Rams team shows up this year? When in doubt, go with the latest version of the high-flying Rams. Pick: St. Louis
Pittsburgh at Cleveland: The Steelers have a new coach for the first time since Theodore Roosevelt was president. The Mike Tomlin Show gets off to a good start against the hapless Browns. Pick: Pittsburgh
Atlanta at Minnesota: Two very unpredictable teams. Falcons look to struggle this year as their franchise quarterback gets ready to spend at least a year as a guest of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Pick: Vikes
Tennessee at Jacksonville: Vince Young and the Titans visit Jacksonville in what promises to be a wild one. Can the Titans renew the momentum of last year's fast finish? I don't know. Pick: Jacksonville
New England at NY Jets: Pats have reloaded for a Super Bowl run. Jets will be representative, but unable to keep up with New England. Pick: Patriots
Philadelphia at Green Bay: Reggie White played for both of these teams. That has nothing to do with the 2007 matchup. The Eagles are a little better than the Pack. Pick: Philly
Detroit at Oakland: Stink Bowl II. Forget that, this is the Suck Bowl. Detroit is bad, but showing signs of improvement. Oakland is pathetic. One of these teams will be 1-0. Pick: Detroit
Chicago at San Diego: The Bears will be good again, but so will the Chargers. The Chargers will be on a mission. Pick: San Diego
Tampa Bay at Seattle: Did you know that these teams entered the NFL together in 1976? Bucs are struggling. Seattle is favored to win the NFC West once again. Pick: Seattle
Baltimore at Cincinnati: First of a Monday Night doubleheader. Ravens' defense vs. Bengals' offense. Bengals will bounce back this year, and it will start Monday in the 'Nati. Pick: Cincy
Arizona at San Francisco: The Niners showed a lot of improvement last season. The Cardinals broke a lot of hearts, as usual. By Monday night, I'll be back in the Eastern time zone. I won't feel like staying up for this one. Pick: San Francisco

College Picks, Week 2

It's early for picks, but there are games on Thursday night, in addition to the beginning of the NFL season. Plus, I'm bored.

Last week: 17-3
Season: 17-3

Last week was a good week, helped by the proliferation of predictable Big 12 games. Absent from last week's list was Appalachian State-Michigan, but I did whiff on Notre Dame, Iowa State, and UMass-Dartmouth. And no, Lenoir Rhyne at Appalachian State isn't on this week's list.

Picks for this week:

Miami at Oklahoma: A generation of OU fans has waited 20 years for this one. From 1985-87, OU went 33-3. All three losses were to Miami, costing the Sooners two potential national championships. The guys playing Saturday were either in diapers or not born then. OU wins. I hope it's ugly. Pick: OU
TCU at Texas: Horned Frog fans wish this game was last week, when TCU cruised against Baylor and Texas played like dog poop against Arkansas State. TCU star DE Tommy Blake should be back for this one. The Horns have a lot to prove this week. They stunk last week. They won't be looking past the Frogs, but that may not matter. I'm going out on a limb. Frogs continue their winning streak against Big 12 teams. Pick: TCU
Nebraska at Wake Forest: Nebraska opened strong last week, hanging half a hundred on Nevada. Wake Forest lost QB Riley Skinner in their loss at Boston College. The game is down on Tobacco Road, but Big Red is starting to roar again. Pick: Nebraska
Fresno State at Texas A&M: Dangerous game for A&M. Fresno will give the Aggies all they want. I'm tempted to pick Fresno, but I won't. Coach Fran survives this one. Pick: A&M
Missouri at Ole Miss: Mizzou survived a wild one against Illinois last week. They should be able to handle the Rebels down in the land of cotton, but nothing is a sure thing with either one of these teams. When in doubt, go with talent. Pick: Missouri
UTEP at Texas Tech: Tech went to Dallas and beat the stuffing out of SMU on Labor Day. The Miners won a defensive struggle against Los Lobos of New Mexico, 10-6. Tech outscores UTEP. Pick: Tech
Rice at Baylor: El Stinko Game of the Week. Rice lost to Nicholls State last week. Baylor got skunked by TCU. I'm glad I won't be at this game. It'll be ugly, one way or the other. Pick: Baylor
Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma Aggies were brought way down to earth by the Georgia Bulldogs. They look to bounce back against the Owls of Florida Atlantic. FAU is better than some give them credit for being. Nonetheless, OSU wins this one. Pick: OSU
Northern Iowa at Iowa State: There is no such thing as a gimme in college football, as Iowa State and Michigan both learned last week. UNI is a strong FCS program, and nearly knocked off the Cyclones last season. My gut says UNI, but my head says don't pick against the bigger program. Pick: ISU
SE Louisiana at Kansas: Puhleeze. Pick: KU
San Jose State at Kansas State: K-State nearly beat Auburn last week. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. K-State bounces back this week. Pick: KSU
Colorado at Arizona State: Colorado came from behind to beat cross-state rival Colorado State last week. Arizona State pounded San Jose State. Dennis Erickson has the Fighting Sun Devils loaded for bear. This week, they're also loaded for buffalo. Pick: ASU
Notre Dame at Penn State: Notre Dame royally stunk up the field last week in a 33-3 whipping at the hands of the Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech. Penn State warmed up by pasting Florida International. It looks like a long year for the Irish. Penn State, and it might not even be close. Pick: PSU
Virginia Tech at LSU: Saturday night in Tiger Stadium is a tall order for anyone. This one would be worth paying to see. Hokies are good, and have gotten through their first game since the tragedy on their campus. LSU is deservedly ranked #2 in the nation. LSU is known for losing games they should win at home, in spite of their home field advantage. I'm going out on a limb, and picking the Hokies. Pick: VT
Oregon at Michigan: Oregon has a good team. Michigan is the laughing stock of the United States. The secret is that Michigan isn't that bad. Wolverines bounce back in the Big House. Pick: Michigan
South Carolina at Georgia: Steve Spurrier brings his Gamecocks to Georgia. When in doubt, go with the home field, especially as UGa always finds a way to beat the 'Cocks. Pick: Georgia
BYU at UCLA: The Y plays their second Pac 10 team in as many weeks, after beating Arizona last week. Bruins whipped Stanford. This is an underrated matchup. When in doubt, again, go with the home field. Pick: UCLA
South Florida at Auburn: What's the deal with Auburn? They scheduled not one, but two teams in non-conference that could beat them. USF will scare War Eagle to death. In the end, Auburn wins again. Pick: Auburn
North Carolina at East Carolina: Pirates played tough in loss to Virginia Tech last week. Tar Heels blasted James Madison. Butch Davis will turn the Tar Heel program around. This is a tough one to pick. The sky is Carolina blue. Pick: UNC
Malone (Ohio) at Azusa Pacific: Long, long trip for Malone to Azusa, California. They'll have a nice trip to SoCal, but Azusa gets their first win of the year. Pick: Azusa

College Football Ramblings

Some random thoughts while digesting the implications of Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32....

Lost in the shuffle was a game played last night on pay-per-view in Austin, as Arkansas State outplayed the Texas Longhorns, losing 21-13. Arkansas State outgained the Horns, and the Horns had more penalty yards. Texas has a lot to straighten out in a short amount of time, as the mighty TCU Horned Frogs visit the Forty Acres on Saturday.

TCU toyed with Baylor on Saturday, beating the Bears 27-0. That score could have been a whole lot worse. Baylor has a Big 12 schedule to look forward to, and a probable coaching change after the season.

Kansas State whipped Auburn for 55 minutes Saturday night. Problem is, the game lasts 60 minutes. War Eagle scored a go-ahead touchdown with two minutes to go. The Tigers then forced a fumble then ran it back for a touchdown to ensure the final score of 23-13.

Another Football Championship Subdivision school scored a win over a Football Bowl Subdivision school Saturday night, as Nicholls State traveled to Houston and knocked off Rice, 16-14. There were two weather delays in this game, as lightning was detected near Rice Stadium. Rice could very well be reverting back to the same old Rice, after last year's bowl appearance.

The Mid-American Conference represented itself well over the weekend, as Kent State won at Iowa State, and Bowling Green won at Minnesota. The difference between the haves and have nots in college football is not as wide as the BCS system would suggest.

A school that will have a hard time getting a name opponent to visit is Wyoming. The Cowboys whipped Virginia, 23-3, in Laramie. Virginia will probably be changing coaches at the end of the season. They also have to be asking why they agreed to a home-and-home with Wyoming. That's a tough road trip for anyone, much less a school coming from the East Coast. Cowboy Joe rocks.

That's it for now. More thoughts later in the week...

NFL Predictions, Part 4

Lost in the shuffle of the exciting college football weekend are the last installment of NFL projections. These come from the AFC South and West divisions.

The Indianapolis Colts return as defending Super Bowl champions. They will wear a large target on their back. Nonetheless, they should overwhelm the other teams in the AFC South. Tennessee rode the legs of Vince Young to 8 wins last season, and look to finish just short of the playoffs this season, as well. Jacksonville is changing quarterbacks, as Byron Leftwich has been let go in favor of David Garrard. The Houston Texans aren't totally hopeless, but they are hapless until proven otherwise.

AFC South Projections
Indianapolis 11-5
Tennessee 10-6
Jacksonville 8-8
Houston 5-11

The AFC West is both a feast and a famine. On one end, you have the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers. Both teams look strong this season. On the other end, you have the atrocious Oakland Raiders, who are projected to win one game. The sorriness of the Raiders will help the records of the Broncos, Chargers, and Chiefs.

AFC West Projections
Denver 12-4
San Diego 12-4
Kansas City 10-6
Oakland 1-15

What A Day!

Above is video from the last few moments of one of the greatest upsets in the history of college football, Appalachian State's 34-32 stunner over Michigan. I'm sure there's been a bigger upset, but one would have to look long and hard to find it. Some things to take from it:

* Appalachian State is not chopped liver. They have won two consecutive national championships in the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA. They are better than at least half of the teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and would qualify for a bowl game playing in any of the BCS conferences.

* Appalachian State will have a hard time finding a FBS (I-A) team to play them in the future. This will affect their athletic budget, as they got $400,000 for this trip to Michigan alone.

* If ASU does not win the FCS national championship, it will be a stunner, but would also be a severe disappointment on the heels of this monumental upset.

* This blog predicts Lloyd Carr will retire as Michigan coach at the end of the season, to be replaced by Michigan alum Les Miles, currently the coach at LSU.

* This was a great first game for the Big Ten Network.

Just down the road in South Bend, I had pity for poor Notre Dame. Georgia Tech beat the Irish like a rented mule, 33-3. I expected a little more from the Irish. It's going to be a long year under the Golden Dome.

More comments on today's events in college football in a future post.

Appalachian State University is HOT HOT HOT

In honor of one of the biggest (if not the biggest) upsets in the history of college football, this blog presents one of the cheesiest public relations videos ever produced.

This was produced to present to friends and potential donors of Appalachian State University. It now lives as an Internet and YouTube legend.

Even when the weather is cold, Appalachian is Hot, Hot, Hot!

Ugly Uniform Of The Day

A new football season brings a new round of ridiculous uniforms. It would be really hard to top what I saw last night.

Syracuse got thumped by Washington, 42-12. Even worse than the score were the uniforms they wore. This blog ripped on the Orange for last year's uniforms. This year, some good changes were made, but the combination screams UGLY!!

Helmets: The blue "S" looks fine. It gives a somewhat modern look to the uniform.

Jerseys: It is good for a team called the Orange to wear orange jerseys. I had a hard time with the Orange wearing blue at home.

Pants: Orange pants are fine to wear on the road with white jerseys. At home, the combination of orange helmets, orange jerseys, and orange pants are hideous. White pants would improve this uniform greatly.

If the stripes were horizontal, these would have been mistaken for prison uniforms. As it is, they looked like pumpkins out on the field.

It was a bad night in Syracuse, unless you're a Washington Husky. They're counting the days until basketball season.

NFL Predictions, Part 3

As promised, after a long wait, this blog's projections for the AFC are now ready.

The strength of the NFL is definitely in the AFC. While the NFC has several good-but-not-great teams, the AFC has some beasts. There are teams here that would be Super Bowl contenders in the NFC but will struggle to make the playoffs in the AFC.

In the AFC East, the New England Patriots improved themselves with the addition of WR Randy Moss. This combined with a weak East division gives the Patriots a cakewalk into the playoffs. The New York Jets will be competitive, and would really like to trade places with the Giants to be in the NFC. Some pick Buffalo to be decent. I don't. Their schedule really works against them. Miami will be woeful.

AFC East Projections
New England 12-4
NY Jets 7-9
Buffalo 3-13
Miami 2-14

The AFC North looks to be really, really strong. The Baltimore Ravens will ride their defense to a dominating season. Right behind them will be the rebounding Cincinnati Bengals with their high-flying offense. Pittsburgh will be pretty good, but would be a Super Bowl contender in the NFC. Cleveland will be pathetic.

AFC North Projections
Baltimore 13-3
Cincinnati 12-4
Pittsburgh 9-7
Cleveland 4-12

In a later post, this blog will look at the AFC South and West divisions.

NFL Predictions, Coming

I haven't forgotten about the AFC. Those projections will be coming over the weekend. Stay tuned..

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.

NFL Projections, Part 2

Today, as promised, this blog will project the South and West divisions of the NFC.

The New Orleans Saints, last year's feel-good story, return for more as they look to defend their division championship. The Saints will successfully defend that title and return to the playoffs. They also have a good chance to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, behind QB Drew Brees and RB Reggie Bush.

The Carolina Panthers will bounce back strongly this season to contend for a playoff spot. Tampa Bay will be mediocre, and the Atlanta Falcons will wallow in the damage brought on by soon-to-be convicted felon Michael Vick.

Projected Standings:

New Orleans 12-4
Carolina 11-5
Tampa Bay 4-12
Atlanta 3-13

The West division has been touted by some as the most improved division in football. I'll believe it when I see it.

The Seattle Seahawks will be the class of the division once again. San Francisco showed a lot of improvement last season, but will slip back this year. St. Louis will have a high-flying offense, and not much more (they better have a high-flying offense, as I have Marc Bulger as QB in both of my fantasy leagues). The Arizona Cardinals will be the Cardinals once again, showing flashes of brilliance and not much else.

Projected Standings:

Seattle 10-6
St. Louis 7-9
Arizona 6-10
San Francisco 5-11

NFL Projections, Part 1

I apologize for the delay between posts. I've been out of town for work, and had family in from out of town this week.

As promised, this blog will also project results for the National Football League. Picking a 16-game season in advance is a lot trickier than projecting college football results. There is a lot more parity in the NFL, and a horrible team one year can be a good team the next.

We will begin in the NFC. Today, this blog will project the NFC East and NFC Central.

In the East, the Philadelphia Eagles will once again be the team to beat, with quarterback Donovan McNabb and running back Brian Westbrook. But, right with them will be the Dallas Cowboys, with new head coach Wade Phillips. The New York Giants look to slip just a bit, while the Washington Redskins will be hapless as long as Daniel Snyder owns the team.

NFC East Projections:
Philadelphia 11-5
Dallas 11-5
NY Giants 7-9
Washington 5-11
(Philadelphia wins the division on a tiebreaker)

In the Central, the Chicago Bears return to defend their NFC championship. The Bears look to be good once again, in spite of quarterback Rex Grossman. Detroit will be much-improved, while the Green Bay Packers will be fair to mediocre. The Minnesota Vikings are projected to bring up the rear here.

NFC Central Projections:
Chicago 11-5
Detroit 7-9
Green Bay 7-9
Minnesota 6-10

Next: NFC South, NFC West

Turning Thirty

Tonight, I got in the car and heard that the sad sack Rangers set a modern major league record by scoring 30 runs in one game against the Baltimore Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader. I'm in shock.

The Rangers only led 5-3 going into the top of the sixth inning, before going on an unprecedented tear. They scored nine runs in the sixth, 10 in the eighth, and six in the ninth. Wow. Texas won the game, 30-3.

I haven't seen any highlights or heard any comments. For the Baltimore bullpen, this is a meltdown of massive proportions.

The Rangers, even when they are horrible, never cease to be interesting. For Baltimore, this is yet another black mark on a once-proud franchise.

I'm in shock.

NCAA Projections-Bowls

A set of pre-season projections would be incomplete without predictions for post-season bowl games.

Bowl Championship Series:

BCS National Championship Game, New Orleans: USC vs. Oklahoma
USC should make it to this game, a rematch of the 2004-05 Orange Bowl in which the Trojans laid a beating on the Sooners. The Sooners make it here thanks to the Georgia Bulldogs, who take out previously unbeaten LSU in the SEC championship game. I look for USC to win the national championship.

Rose: Michigan (Big 10 champ) vs. LSU (at-large)
Fiesta: Texas (at-large) vs. Hawaii (at-large)
Orange: Virginia Tech (ACC champ) vs. Penn State (at-large)
Sugar: Georgia (SEC champ) vs. Rutgers (Big East champ)

The team that gets royally hosed in this scenario is West Virginia. They are projected to go 11-1, but are passed over in favor of Penn State, Texas and LSU for BCS bowls. The Big East allows their bowl partners to choose Notre Dame over a Big East team if available, and the Gator Bowl would do just that. This relegates 11-1 West Virginia to the Texas Bowl. It also sends 10-2 Louisville to the Papajohns.com Bowl.

Non-BCS bowls:

Citrus: Ohio State vs. South Carolina
Outback: Wisconsin vs. Florida
Gator: Notre Dame vs. Florida State
Cotton: Missouri vs. Arkansas
Holiday: Nebraska vs. UCLA
Chick-fil-A: Clemson vs. Auburn
Insight: Iowa vs. Kansas
Sun: Cal vs. Texas Tech
Independence: Oregon State vs. South Florida (Neither the Big 12 nor the SEC will have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill these slots)
Alamo: Purdue vs. Texas A&M
Texas: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State
Las Vegas: Arizona State vs. TCU
Emerald: Miami vs. Oregon
New Orleans: Troy vs. Houston
Liberty: Southern Miss vs. Alabama
Papajohns.com: Louisville vs. Memphis
New Mexico: Utah vs. East Carolina (WAC will be unable to fill this slot)
Armed Forces: UTEP vs. Cincinnati (Mountain West will be unable to fill this slot)
Champs Sports: Indiana vs. Georgia Tech
Music City: Maryland vs. Tennessee
Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh
Poinsettia: Navy vs. BYU
GMAC: Tulsa vs. Northern Illinois
Hawaii: Arizona vs. Fresno State
Humanitarian: Boise State vs. Boston College
Motor City: Toledo vs. Northwestern
International: Pittsburgh vs. Ohio

Projections: Epilogue

I haven't forgotten the conference championship games. They will end up as follows:

MAC: Toledo over Ohio
C-USA: Southern Miss over UTEP (homefield advantage for the Eagles)
ACC: Virginia Tech over Florida State
Big 12: Oklahoma over Nebraska
SEC: Georgia over LSU. LSU will enter undefeated, but the game is in Atlanta. The Bulldogs knock the Tigers out of the BCS national championship game.

NCAA Projections: SEC

The last conference projection in this blog is for the SEC.

I love the SEC. It is perhaps my favorite conference. I'm not fanatical about any of the teams, but I love to see them beat up on each other. It's Southern fried football at its best.

The East division is traditionally the toughest in college football. Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee are perennially strong. Now, South Carolina, in the third year of coach Steve Spurrier, looks to make that threesome a quartet. When we last saw the Florida Gators, they were making mincemeat out of Ohio State in the national championship game. The Gators will always be good as long as Urban Meyer is the coach. This year looks to be a relative down year for the Gators, but only due to the schedule. Florida must travel to LSU and South Carolina. I look for them to lose both of those games.

Georgia will win the East division, in spite of a loss to Florida. Georgia never beats Florida, no matter how good they are. I'll go with history there. The new wrinkle to this division, though, has been added by the Gamecocks of South Carolina and their coach, Steve Spurrier. The 'Cocks continue to improve. They will pass Tennessee in the SEC pecking order. This is not good news for Vols coach Phil Fulmer. Just when the Vols were through with Spurrier, their nemesis ends up at South Carolina and becomes a pain in the Big Orange posterior there.

In the West, LSU looks to be favored in every game they play. I think they will be very good, and their toughest opponents are at home. Arkansas has a Heisman Trophy candidate in Darren McFadden, but enough off-field controversy for the National Enquirer. Auburn will be pretty decent, and Alabama will bounce back under new coach Nick Saban.

SEC Projections:

East
Georgia 11-1 7-1
Florida 10-2 6-2
South Carolina 9-3 5-3
Tennessee 7-5 4-4
Kentucky 5-7 2-6
Vanderbilt 4-8 1-7

West
LSU 12-0 8-0
Arkansas 9-3 5-3
Alabama 8-4 5-3
Auburn 8-4 4-4
Ole Miss 4-8 1-7
Mississippi State 3-9 0-8

NCAA Projections: Pac-10

Stuck in a time zone two or three hours behind most of the rest of the country lies the Pac-10 Conference. These guys really don't mind, as they perceive themselves as California cool, whether they are in California or not. There are some pretty good football teams on the West Coast, as well.

This conference plays a true round-robin schedule. When the NCAA allowed teams to play a 12-game schedule, the Pac-10 decided to make the extra game a ninth conference game. So, every team in this conference plays every other team every year. What a novel concept! Not many bodybag games against the likes of Louisiana-Lafayette for this conference. They choose to play each other. This drives up power ratings and ticket sales.

There is a juggernaut in this conference known as USC. USC is a well-oiled football machine. Five-star recruits are lining up to play there, and the Trojans are sending plenty of players on their way to the NFL. Any time the Trojans lose, it's an upset. This conference is USC's to lose. The Trojans should be favored to win every game. They have some dangerous road games at Notre Dame, Oregon, Cal, and Arizona State. However, I think the Trojans are good enough to win those games and finish 1st in the final BCS standings. There is currently a great tongue-in-cheek message board thread on the greatness of USC at OUInsider.com.

The rest of the conference is pretty good, but not awesome. I look for all of them to beat up on each other. UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, and Oregon State should all be bowl-eligible. Washington, Washington State, and Stanford look to bring up the rear.

Projected standings:

USC 12-0 9-0
UCLA 9-3 6-3
California 8-4 5-4
Oregon 7-5 5-4
Arizona 7-5 5-4
Arizona State 7-5 4-5
Oregon State 6-6 4-5
Washington 3-9 3-6
Washington State 3-9 1-8
Stanford 2-10 1-8

NCAA Projections: Big 12

I'm back in Texas today, and it's fitting that I project the Big XII Conference.

The Big 12 has become increasingly top-heavy, with the power residing in the South Division. Oklahoma and Texas are leading an arms race, and it's all the rest of the conference can do to keep up. Any time either OU or UT lose, it's an upset. That won't change this year.

The South division is comparable to any group of power schools in America. Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma State are dangerous. However, they can't keep up long-term with the big dogs in Norman and Austin. Baylor has made huge strides under coach Guy Morriss, but can still only muster four or five wins per year.

On the other hand, the North division has been weak for the last few years. The division appears to have bottomed out, but as long as Nebraska is not national championship caliber, the North will be perceived as weak.

In the South, OU and Texas are head and shoulders ahead of everyone else. OU is strong at all positions except quarterback, where an untested player will line up behind center. Texas has a load of athletes as well, and hopes for QB Colt McCoy to be healthy. McCoy's injury last season led to two late season losses to Kansas State and Texas A&M. I predict one loss between the two teams: in Dallas on October 6, when the Sooners break a two-year losing streak to the Longhorns. OU will run the table at 12-0, and Texas will finish 11-1.

There will be a coaching change in College Station at the end of the year. Dennis Franchione faces a suicidal schedule this season, as the Fightin' Texas Aggies must travel to Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Missouri. It would be an accomplishment to win one of those road games, much less more than one. It would be hard for any team this side of the NFL to run the table against that road schedule. In addition to that, Texas visits Aggieland with revenge on their mind, following last year's A&M win in Austin. Aggie boosters are already passing the hat to raise money for the buyout of Coach Fran. He would probably already be gone, but the Aggies pulled off that season-ending upset over hated archrival Texas, preserving his job for another year.

In the North, this should be the year of the Missouri Tigers. Missouri looks to be a good team with a favorable schedule. However, I don't trust them in big games. I don't really trust the modern-day Nebraska Cornhuskers in big games, either. However, something has to give when the Huskers visit Columbia in October. I look for Nebraska to escape Columbia with a win, and to win the North championship. The rest of the division looks pretty mediocre.

Big XII Projections

North
Nebraska 9-3 7-1
Missouri 10-2 6-2
Kansas State 5-7 3-5
Kansas 6-6 2-6
Iowa State 4-8 2-6
Colorado 3-9 1-7

South
Oklahoma 12-0 8-0
Texas 11-1 7-1
Texas Tech 8-4 4-4
Oklahoma State 6-6 4-4
Texas A&M 6-6 3-5
Baylor 4-8 1-7