Spooky Express College Football Summer Stuff

[Spooky]

Will keep one thread for some College Football stuff as we
head into the season so as not to clutter the forum.


Spooky Express and my friend the Armadillo looking at
ACC football for the 2008 season:

Boston College-- Eagles won last eight bowls, longest streak in country, but they have to replace Matt Ryan and will use a freshman to carry ball most of time (their top three tailbacks in 2007 are gone). Defense has to carry the day early in season, until new guys get their feet wet. Jr LB Herzlich is only Eagle on ACC preseason all-star team. Year 2 of Jagodzinski era will be different than last year's 11-3 season, but how much worse?

Clemson-- Tigers last won ACC title in '91, year before Bobby Bowden's Seminoles joined the league; Tommy Bowden's team has ranked 23rd or lower in each of last four years, but 2008 is supposed to be better, even though there are four new starters on offensive line. Tigers and Tennessee are only teams with a 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver returning this year. With a senior QB, anything less than ACC title won't be good.

Duke-- David Cutcliffe had a 44-29 record at Ole Miss and won Cotton Bowl; he takes over Duke program that lost its last 25 ACC games, and has one I-A win the last three years. 19 of 24 starters return, but no one on the roster has played in winning conference game. Lewis is a talented QB; Duke will score more under Cutcliffe; they have experienced players, but experience has been in losing. The schedule is favorable for early wins.

Florida State-- Final rankings last three years: 35-32-35; 7-6 the last two seasons, FSU also will be missing six starters for parts of '08 season, due to academic issues from last year. Last year was first time since 1987 that no Seminole was taken on Day 1 of NFL Draft- their talent level is down. Weatherford is senior QB with 33 career starts, but isn't clear-cut choice as a starter. There are no junior or senior offensive linemen on this team.

Georgia Tech-- Paul Johnson won big at Navy, which ain't an easy thing to do; he also won two I-AA titles, so he can coach which is good, since Tech fumbled nine times in spring game. There is a lot of work to do. They only have four starters back on defense, so this will be a rebuilding year, since Tech's QB transferred to a school where he can pass more. Jackets have been to 11 straight bowl games-- doubtful it gets to twelve.

Maryland-- Terps are switching to West Coast offense after its third losing ACC season in last four (14-18); with nine starters back on offense, Maryland should score more, but they're not settled on who will start at QB. They also changed defenses, and will have six new starters there. Friedgen is 56-31 in seven years at Maryland, but program has plateaued, which is cause for the changes. Cal's visit in September will be interesting test.

Miami-- Hurricanes ranked 70th last year out of 119 schools in I-A; they have only four starters back on offense, six on other side of ball- they closed out the Orange Bowl with a 48-0 loss to Virginia. This year's QB, whoever he is, has never played in a college game. 'canes turned ball over 31 times LY, so they'll take heat off the new QB by trying to run ball more. Recruiting has been better, but it takes while for results to show on field.

North Carolina-- Heels have nine starters back on offense and eight on defense; they went 4-8 LY, losing four games by four points or less, so they figure to improve. With only 20 wins in last five seasons, experienced Heels figure to contend for bowl game. UNC has strong offensive line, talented, but still young players at QB/RB. Better recruiting means starters won't have to play as much on special teams, and should be better rested.

NC State-- Wolfpack has only nine returning starters back but after a 5-7 season, is that so bad? They had 22 turnovers in the first six games, then won four straight before running out of gas and missing a bowl by one win. They're unsure who their QB is, but the coach went 75-45 at Boston College and will win in Raleigh, maybe even this year, if his players are healthier in 2008. One thing: if O'Brien gets to a bowl game, he'll win it.

Virginia-- Cavaliers will miss Chris Long, now with the Rams; they also lost 23-game starting QB Sewell to academic issues, which is a potential disaster. They lost several players as well in offseason for unusual reasons, and their top recruiter, so a team that won five of its nine games by five or less points LY USC visits Charlottesville August 30, a tough test. Not only do they have to rebuild both lines, they need new kicker/punters.

Virginia Tech-- Hokies have 42 wins the last four years and finished LY ranked #9, despite losing Orange Bowl to Kansas. Tech has to replace seven starters on defense and also juggle QBs, but they have four starters back on OL. Hokies have just 10 scholarship seniors, so this young team has to grow as they go. Road games at East Carolina, Nebraska could get tricky for a young team. Beamer has his toughest coaching job in while.

Wake Forest-- Deacons have 20 wins the last two years, with rankings of 11-9th; how Wake kept Michigan or Alabama from hiring coach Grobe away remains a mystery. They finished 9-4 LY even after an 0-2 start, when they blew early 14-0 lead at BC Wake has a terrific QB in two-year starter Skinner; they have the best kicker in ACC and two all-ACC defensive starters, so the crafty Grobe figures to get Deacons into another bowl.

:hula

[Dirty]

Good Stuff Spooky... I have my ACC Social group up as well....

[Spooky]

I have no idea what you are talking about Dirty, but sure.

[Dirty]

here we go pal....Should be some good stuff


Post #4


http://www.gamblingiq.com/forum/onli...ssion/2319.htm

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Monday

A quick look at my favorite conference the 2008 Sun Belt football conference.....
And I like to think everyone knows why my heart and wallet are so close to the SUN BELT. Can you say FAU?

For those that do not know, my son attends FAU for the past 4 years and
is now in Grad school down there.


Arkansas State-- Lost six 4-year starters on defense; have a new nickname (Red Wolves) and a whole new secondary.

Florida Atlantic-- Have 18 starters back from team that won first bowl in school history; will they handle expectations?

Florida International-- Growing pains being hampered by the 4-year probation, but they're slowly improving. Very slowly.

Louisiana-Lafayette-- Lost 38-17 to I-AA team, went 3-9, so defense has to improve. Coach has improved academic end of the program, but he better win soon, or it won't matter.

Louisiana-Monroe-- They beat Alabama last year, still didn't crack top 100 in country (6-6, 102nd); have 3-year starter at QB, so these War Hawks could be a bowl-bound group.

Middle Tennessee-- Will only have 74 scholarship players in 2008, so depth is an issue; they've only got ten seniors on squad. Four new starters on offensive line could be problem.

North Texas-- Eight wins in last three years is bad; giving up 45 ppg LY was worse. Coach Dodge went 79-1 in high school ranks; his son Riley will be the QB, either sooner or later.

Troy-- Lost 38-32 to FAU, which cost them bowl bid; but its win over Oklahoma State and 44-34 loss to Georgia earned a lot of respect. Have seven starters back on both sides of ball.

[Spooky]

SPOOKY EXPRESS LOOKING AT THE BIG EAST

Cincinnati-- Brian Kelly is a rising giant in coaching; he won pair of national titles in D-II, then got Central Michigan to bowl and went 10-3 in his first season with Bearcats. UC has seven starters back on offense, six on defense from unit that led the country with 42 takeaways LY. Bearcats have to break in a new QB this season, but with ten seniors starting on defense, this should be another bowl-cound team for coach Kelly.

UConn-- Huskies were 8-1 at one point LY, then lost three of its last four games, getting waxed 66-21 by West Virginia, and 24-10 by Wake Forest in Car Care Bowl, but UConn had only 10 seniors and overachieved, getting nine touchdowns from its defense and special teams. Huskies have a senior QB, depth on the offensive line and a solid coach, so expectations won't be a problem. Expect UConn to go bowling again this season.

Louisville-- 6-6 wasn't good at school that had 41 wins in four years before that, so Steve Kragthorpe's first year at UofL was not pleasant. Cardinals gave up 120 points combined in games 2-4, then gave up 131 more in its last three games, after losing in midseason at home to Utah, 44-35. They overhauled staff on defense, brought in ten JC players for depth, but they need to break in a new QB too. Looks like a rebuilding year for U of L.

Pittsburgh-- Dave Wannstedt has been recruiting like crazy, but is 16-19 in three years at Pitt, so Year 4 needs to be a good one. Panthers played good defense LY, but an injury-riddled offense turned ball over 24 times and wound with freshman QB running things-- not good. If offense doesn't give opponents a short field to work on, Pitt has enough team speed to be bowl team this season. For Wannstedt's sake, they had better be.

Rutgers-- Seven starters back on offense, eight on defense, so Rutgers figures to go bowling again in '08, hopefully to a better bowl than the International Bowl (no offense). Gone is star RB Rice and three starters on offensive line, but they have Teel as a 5th-year senior QB, so they should get more out of passing game. Knights were first team ever LY with a 2,000-yd rusher, a 3,000-yd passer and two 1,000-yard WRs. '08 should be good.

South Florida-- Bulls were ranked #2 in country at one point in a wacky season, then stumbled to 3-4 finish, but nine wins for second year in row is good stuff for USF, which has ten of its starters back on offense, including 3rd-year starting QB Matt Grothe. South Florida is a large school located in a recruiting goldmine- they're going to be good for long time. How will the weight of expectations change things? Not that much.

Syracuse-- Whoever fired Paul Pasqualoni was an idiot; SU is 7-28 in three years under Greg Robinson, and things ain't any better now than they were three years ago. AD Gross doesn't seem to know that central New York ain't Texas or USC, so it is really hard to have a great football team at Syracuse. Three of their first four games are Northwestern/Akron/Northeastern, if they ain't at least 3-1, Orange will have a new coach in 2009.

West Virginia-- They were going to have shot at national title, then a 13-9 loss to rival Pitt unraveled everything and wound up with WVU alum Rodriguez bolting for Michigan, paying lot of cash ($4M) to break his contract. New coach Stewart had an 8-25 record in three years at VMI in the mid-90's; is he ready to lead a program at this level? Mountaineers are 33-5 in last 38 games; at least they have a senior QB to lead them in 2008.

[Spooky]

Spooky's List of 13: What I learned on my summer vacation

Some people go fishing on their vacations, some go mountain climbing or sailing; I usually go to Florida to see my son, but this year, I went to a Vegan Spa with my wife in Florida and sat by a pool and read magazines to get ready for football season. Here is some of what I learned.....

13) Florida Gators are 4-11 against the spread as a road favorite since Urban Meyer became head coach.

12) Washington Huskies are 1-10 as home fave last four years.

11) West Virginia covered nine of last ten as an underdog in its Big East conference games.

10) Skip Holtz is 26-11 vs the spread at East Carolina, 12-2 as a road dog. Will be interesting to see if Holtz stays at ECU.

9) LSU is just 6-16 vs spread in SEC games in the Les Miles era but they've covered 11 of their last 12 non-league games.

8) Syracuse is 1-8 vs spread if their last game went overtime; in the same category, Wyoming is 6-0 vs the spread.

7) USC is 9-3 against the spread in game after a loss in the very successful Pete Carroll era.

6) Wisconsin covered one of last eleven times they were road favorite of ten or more points.

5) Wake Forest usually has good teams now, but they're 0-8 vs spread as non-conference favorite of more than three points.

4) In last four years, Clemson is 10-2 vs spread as as underdog.

3) Memphis covered just two of last 15 as single digit favorite.

2) Miami used to be a great road team; the last three years, the Hurricanes are 5-12 against the pointspread on foreign soil.

1) Part of the reason Ole Miss changed coaches? In last four seasons, Rebels were 2-10-2 vs spread when favored.

[The General]

Thanks Spooky my friend.

Great reading.

[pvcpipe]

I won't clutter your thread, just wanted to say it was good reading.

[Spooky]

YOU ARE WELCOME GENERAL....HOPE SOME LIKE THE READ.

PVC, YOU ARE NEVER CLUTTERING IT UP.
ALWAYS GOOD TO KNOW PEEPS ARE LOOKING AT IT.
TYVM


SPOOKY EXPRESS LOOKING AT THE SUN BELT


A quick look at my favorite conference the 2008 Sun Belt football conference.....
And I like to think everyone knows why my heart and wallet are so close to the SUN BELT. Can you say FAU?

Arkansas State-- Lost six 4-year starters on defense; have a new nickname (Red Wolves) and a whole new secondary.

Florida Atlantic-- Have 18 starters back from team that won first bowl in school history; will they handle expectations?

Florida International-- Growing pains being hampered by the 4-year probation, but they're slowly improving. Very slowly.

Louisiana-Lafayette-- Lost 38-17 to I-AA team, went 3-9, so defense has to improve. Coach has improved academic end of the program, but he better win soon, or it won't matter.

Louisiana-Monroe-- They beat Alabama last year, still didn't crack top 100 in country (6-6, 102nd); have 3-year starter at QB, so these War Hawks could be a bowl-bound group.

Middle Tennessee-- Will only have 74 scholarship players in 2008, so depth is an issue; they've only got ten seniors on squad. Four new starters on offensive line could be problem.

North Texas-- Eight wins in last three years is bad; giving up 45 ppg LY was worse. Coach Dodge went 79-1 in high school ranks; his son Riley will be the QB, either sooner or later.

Troy-- Lost 38-32 to FAU, which cost them bowl bid; but its win over Oklahoma State and 44-34 loss to Georgia earned a lot of respect. Have seven starters back on both sides of ball.

[Spooky]

Spooky says FAU chosen early No. 1 in Sun Belt best again

— When Florida Atlantic joined the Sun Belt Conference three years ago, coach Howard Schnellenberger envisioned a time when his Owls would win league titles regularly.

That dream could be happening more quickly than expected. FAU, which broke through a year ahead of Schnellenberger's target by winning the conference title in 2007, is the favorite to win it again this season.

In the Sun Belt pre-season poll released Monday, coaches predicted the Owls would repeat as league champions.

"This is the year I was pointing to," Schnellenberger said. "(Winning it last year) has some value, and it's very important value, but it's hard to quantify."

Schnellenberger, though, wasn't too excited with the pre-season prediction, especially after the Owls were picked to finish sixth last season in the 2007 poll before winning the right to represent the Sun Belt in the New Orleans Bowl.

"People will prepare differently for you," Schnellenberger said. "We'll be one of those teams that teams really want to beat."

Rising up

FAU's fast ascent isn't a surprise to those who followed Schnellenberger before his arrival at the Boca Raton school.

In December 2003, Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters invited the Owls to join the conference, knowing that Schnellenberger could develop the program from a I-AA playoff team to a Division I contender.

"I've known Howard for an awful long time, and I knew he was going to be successful," Waters said. "With the resources they have in South Florida ... the reality is it wasn't too much of a stretch to say they were going to be successful."

Waters' confidence paid off when FAU defeated Memphis 44-27 in the New Orleans Bowl, giving the Sun Belt Conference back-to-back bowl victories against Conference USA.

"Getting to that bowl game wasn't nearly as significant as winning it," Waters said.

Sun Belt coaches also said they are not stunned by FAU's surge to the top.

"Their rise to be successful in our league is no surprise at all," Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said. "Even when they weren't winning a championship, they were talented, and you could see them playing with freshmen and redshirt freshmen getting better and better."

Louisiana-Monroe coach Charlie Weatherbie added: "We knew they were in hotbed of recruiting and were going to get some talented players. They were very talented when they joined the league. They don't surprise me at all."

High praise for Schnellenberger

While discussing the job Schnellenberger has done in building FAU's program, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden was asked at the 2008 ACC Kickoff how many national championships Schnellenberger would have won if he had stayed at Miami.

"He would have won more national championships than anybody ever," Bowden said.

"I really believe it. He's one of the best ever."

Noteworthy: FAU junior quarterback Rusty Smith was named the pre-season conference offensive player of the year, and senior linebacker Frantz Joseph was named pre-season defensive player of the year.

[Spooky]

Spooky's List of 13: College football trends to ponder.......

13) Ohio State covered 15 of last 21 as home favorite of 10+.

12) Iowa State is 6-24-1 vs spread on artificial turf since 1997.

11) Washington failed to cover last nine home games against the two Arizona schools.

10) Visitor covered 15 of last 19 Clemson-So. Carolina games

9) Texas A&M covered just two of last 17 road openers.

8) Marshall covered two of last 13 as conference road dog.

7) UConn covered seven of last eight as road underdog.

6) Auburn is 12-6-1 vs spread in last 19 games as SEC favorite.

5) Visitor is 14-2 vs spread in Alabama-Tennessee series.

4) Wisconsin is 11-6 vs spread coming off last 17 losses.

3) Eastern Michigan is 5-20 vs spread in its last 25 games on artificial turf.

2) South Carolina covered five of last six as double digit dog.

1) North Carolina is 6-14 vs spread in its last 20 non-league home games.

[Spooky]

Preseason Top 10 Things Spooky Loves About College Football

On Thursday, the season officially kicks off with Wake and Baylor. I have not an inkling of affiliation with either of those institutions but, regardless, I can not wait.

Don't get me wrong, I'm like every other red-blooded American alpha-male. Sundays are devoted to The League. And Mondays. Sometimes Thursdays. Saturdays later in the fall... Give me the Lions at 1 and Anyone else at 4, and I'm the proverbial pig in shit. Toss in the Red Zone Channel on Direct TV and top it off with a decent Sunday night game? It doesn't get much better than that.

But I'd still take a Saturday in October over the NFL's best almost any day. College football just has something. Maybe it's the uniforms, the passion, the rivalries and maybe it's the crowd, the youth, the number of schools you can follow...

All I know is that I can sit and watch an early Big Ten game, followed by some PAC-10 afternoon action and into the night with the SEC and Big 12. I have not one logical reason for rooting for any team other than USC which I have followed since 1968. Nobody slashed and cut like OJ Simpson.
I didn't go to LSU or Florida. I am not a Notre Dame alum or Michigan Wolverines fan. I grew up in Jersey and my alma mater -- well, I never went to college so it is all about USC and Florida Atlantic.



Back to what it is about college football. I can't put my finger on it. So, here are only a few of the things that immediately come to mind in no particular order. Those of you who either (a) attended an institution with big-time college football or (b) have witnessed multiple games of a big-time program in-person, please share/comment/testify.

10. Helmet Stickers: Sure, they might seem a little amateurish, but they make sense for the college game. I'm a big fan of the tomahawks at FSU and the dog bones at Georgia. I don't even mind the weed stickers they throw on those silver melon protectors in Columbus. If nothing else, it's a pretty quick way to identify the sick mofos on the field.

9. Stadiums with Nicknames: It's not Alltel Stadium or Raymond James, for the most part (I still can't believe there's a Papa John's stadium, but I guess a college campus is as appropriate a place as any), and that's a good thing. The Swamp. Death Valley. Between the Hedges. The Shoe. Nice.

8. Fight/Stadium Songs: You can debate the best until you're blue in the face. Fact is, you didn't go to the school and yet you still hum along to the fight song. That's pretty big time. I'm also a sucker for thosee teams that make the trip over to the hometown stands following a little "Eyes of Texas" or "Rocky Top." Good stuff. Even seeing the stands shake at Camp Randall to House Of Pain is also pretty cool. Although I have FIGHT ON as my ringtone.

7. SEC Cheerleaders: Sure, you can talk to me about SC's Song Girls. I also love the gals in chaps down in Austin. And, yes, I realize I led this post with an ASU cheerleader, a group that has proved stellar in the past. But pound-for-pound, other stuff for other stuff, I'll take the collective "body of work" of the lovely ladies from the likes of Florida, LSU, Georgia,'Bama and the like. Give me some SEC.

6. The Option: Doesn't matter who runs it on any other level, it still looks infinitely prettier when some well-oiled collegiate machine breaks it out. I for some reason could never take my eyes off Oklahoma when they used to run it in the 80s and 90s (unstoppable). It's even impressive to watch the service academies run it with such discipline (although not quite as exciting).
But my heart is always about Student Body Left.

5. Pushups. Cannons. Galloping Steeds. Stampeding Buffaloes. Slobbering Dawgs. War Eagles. Check out this list if you're not getting the idea yet.

4. Enter Sandman: This could have easily been incorporated into #8 (and probably should have been), but I feel like it deserves a stand-alone. I've never been to Blacksburg, VA. Frankly, I haven't heard the crowd at many other college football stadiums in this country. I do know one thing. I still remember this game, and this intro, five years later. Awesome.

3. B.M.O.C.'s: Sure, being the star point guard at UNC is probably pretty cool. The stud laxer at Hopkins? He can likely strut around campus like his shit don't stink. But there are few teenagers or young 20-somethings in the world who can preside over an institution like the quarterback of a major D1 powerhouse. Hmmm, let's see who might be a decent example...

2. Bands: Actually, I don't like them. I really don't. Even that dotting the "i" thing. They could go away along with the wave. Fill up the time with #7. Although you USC Trojans marching band is an awesome spectacle to behold.
Nothing like it.

1. Bowl Games: Playoff, schlayoff. Sure, the system could use some fixing. But let's not do anything rash that would sacrifice what makes the college football post-season great. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed at the number of games now taking place ridiculously early and offensively late. January 1st should be an absolute bonanza where it's not about finding the best game, it's about finding the three best games to jump to and from. But bowl season is still a celebration of endless bounty -- and so is college football. Let the fantastic-ness begin.

[Spooky]

If USC Was a Country




If USC athletes had competed as a country in 2008, they would have placed 13th in the overall medal standings in the Beijing Games (and tied for eighth in golds).

[Spooky]

SPOOKY EXPRESS TALKING NORTH CAROLINA

UNC is coming off a 4-8 season where their marquee win was against the 1-11 Duke intramural squad. However, the Tar Heels are the trendy pick to win ACC Coastal division because of some very close losses. The three reasons why I think UNC will go from 4-8 to 8-4 (or better) are: a lot of returning talent, a very favorable schedule and top notch coaching.

Quarterback T.J. Yates had an impressive start to his 2007 season throwing 9 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions but fizzled out finishing the season with 14 tds and 18 picks. Yates is going to have to cut that shit and be productive for the entire season for the Heels to go bowling and even come close to sniffing the asshole of the ACC Championship Game. He gets to throw to Hakeem Nicks who is straight nasty and could put up over 1,000 yards. The running game was suspect last year and sophomore Greg Little needs to rush for 1,000+ to keep the offense moving in the right direction.

The Heels’ schedule sets up extremely well and here is how I see their season unfolding.

McNeese State - Blowout W

at Rutgers - I don’t think Butch Davis will be able to get past his former assistant coach.

Virginia Tech - UNC might be a favorite and this game will be extremely telling of how the UNC season will go. A win has them on the fast track to the ACC Coastal division title, a close loss won’t be too devistating but a blowout will be devistating. I think they lose a really close one.

at Miami - Miami has too much talent

Connecticut - This will be another extremely close game but in the end UNC will pull it out.

Notre Dame - I really hate picking ND to win
at Virginia - W

Boston College - No Matt Ryan means no W for BC

Georgia Tech - GT will be competitive for a while, but this is the year for everyone to beat down on the Wreck.

at Maryland - A solid road win

NC State - I really miss Chuck Amato and his sexy tan, permed hair and suave sunglasses. W

at Duke - It will be close, but UNC wins.

We all know Butch Davis is a great head coach and recruiter. One thing he is not is a miracle worker. UNC is still 1-2 years away from being a legitimate ACC contender. Going 8-4 this year with a chance to play in a bowl will definitely set the Heels up for break-out 2009. However, maybe I am wrong and Davis pulls out the W against VT and cruises to the ACC Championship Game…

[pvcpipe]

"...nobody slashed and cut like O.J. Simpson."


:devil:devil

[Spooky]

If I did it.

PVC, glad to see someone read some of the stuff.

[Spooky]

SPOOKY'S 10 NON-BCS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS FOR 2008

We’re but a few days away from the opening kickoff of the 2008 season, and with it an opportunity to put the “shoulds” and “coulds” of the preseason behind us to find out just how week one of the season will shake down. Here’s some last minute predictions for the non-BCS conferences.

10. Both Wyoming and New Mexico State will Go Bowling- Far from the hype of the BYU’s and Fresno State’s of the world, the Wyoming Cowboys and New Mexico State Aggies both stand at a crossroad. Each program saw relative success early in the tenures of their respective head coaches, but after disappointments and an inability to follow up that success, both Joe Glenn and Hal Mumme find themselves on hot seats. Fortunately for each, I think both these teams make it to a bowl game in 2008, playing each other in the New Mexico Bowl. New Mexico State will take advantage of a power vacuum in the middle of the WAC to get there, while Wyoming will finally get consistent enough quarterback play to get over the hump in the MWC.

9. Ryan Mathews Will Lead the WAC in rushing- Don’t get me wrong; I’m as big of a Luke Lippincott or Ian Johnson fan as you will find, and happen to think both will have tremendous senior seasons. But anyone who saw true freshmen Ryan Mathews dominate conference play last year will tell you he’s something special. With a veteran offensive line returning in front of him, he’ll topple his 2007 numbers and become the offense’s most potent weapon in 2008.


8. San Diego State Will Lose to Cal Poly- What happens when you take one of the better FCS teams and let them play one of the worst FBS teams? Actually, most of the time the FBS team will still win, but with the Aztecs already having one of the worst run defenses in the FBS and having to replace three offensive lineman, their star quarterback, and top two pass catchers from a year ago their prospects do not look good at all in the opening matchup.


7. Tulsa Will Break Scoring Record Against North Texas- What happens when you give the reigns of two non-BCS conference offenses to former record setting high school coaches? What happens when an offense which averaged over 40 ppg in a new system a year goes up against a defense which allowed over 40 ppg last season? You get a recipe for sixty minutes of fast break action, that’s what you get.

6. Buffalo will Win the MAC East- With every MAC East team getting at least one first place vote in the MAC Media Poll at the conference’s media day last month, the consensus is that the Eastern half of the conference is up for grabs. Buffalo has just as good of a shot as anyone else, and with Turner Gill getting a veteran Drew Willy back at quarterback the Bulls will find themselves in the MAC championship game by season’s end.

5. Navy Will Keep the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy- I have no idea why some people think that just because Paul Johnson is gone that Navy will suddenly regress as preeminent among Service Academy teams. Sure, that Troy Calhoun fellow had a decent year out in Colorado Spring last year, but after losing almost all his offensive production to graduation this spring (and what was left of it to injury this summer) the Falcons will be in major rebuilding mode. The same can be said for Army, which likely will have significant “ground express” issues on offense as they move to an option based offense (basically, they will fumble a lot) in Stan Brock’s second year. No, Navy may not be as good this year as they were last year or the year before, but they won’t have to be to make it back to the White House lawn next spring.

4. Florida Atlantic might not Win the Sun Belt- The conference is better than most people give it credit for, and like the MAC I think we’re seeing it even out from top to bottom, with too many teams gunning for the supposed “top team.” I think FAU will find its way into a bowl now that the Sun Belt has secured multiple tie-ins, but a dog-eat-dog conference slate will leave the conference with an unlikely winner. Just don’t ask me who exactly it will be although I am truly hoping that with Rusty Smith and their solid receivers that the conference sends another team to a bowl game instead.

3. Max Hall Will Be a Heisman Finalist- I think I’ve said all I could possible say on this subject.

2. Boise State will win the WAC- No disrespect to Fresno State but the Bulldogs have suffered too many past letdowns in conference for me to be downing the Kool-Aid this early. I actually think Pat Hill’s club gets past the likes of Rutgers, UCLA, and Wisconsin; but just like in 2004 when they crushed Washington and Kansas State to come out of the gates they’ll proceed to drop a game against a mid-level WAC team somewhere in the middle of the season, and will eventually fall to a Boise State team which makes it’s pay off of winning conference championships.

1. BYU will go to a BCS Bowl Game…And Win! BYU’s offense will be nothing short of prolific now that Max Hall and company have had an entire offseason to gel, while the defense, despite major personnel losses, will be serviceable under Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s tutelage and scheme. Once more, they’re playing a schedule that supports getting to a BCS bowl game, and with Mendenhall’s ability to keep his team humble he won’t likely have them looking past potentially dangerous conference matchups with Utah and TCU.