College Football -- Week 1 Thread
 

It's just about that time. :)

Some of the more interesting games of the week for me:

Thurs:
Pitt @ Utah -- 8:30 PM
USC @ Hawaii -- 11:00 PM
(Miami and Ohio State also have games on Thurs)

Sat:
Illiniois vs Mizzou
Purdue @ ND
UConn @ Michigan
UCLA @ KSU
Washington @ BYU
Oregon State @ TCU
LSU vs UNC

I know I'm a Big East homer, but I'm really looking forward to Pitt/Utah and UConn/Michigan. Those two should be good measuring sticks for the conference. I think LSU vs UNC could be a good, old fashioned, black and blue game. Will be interesting to see if the Brian Kelly magic continues at ND.

For the Big East, Rutgers/WVU/USF all play subdivision teams and should hopefully have few problems.

The rest of the conference has a pretty tough slate and I can easily envision the conference taking it on the chin in week one.

As mentioned, Pitt and UConn play pretty tough road games.

Louisville hosts Kentucky.
Syracuse somehow managed to schedule a road game against Akron.
And Cincy will travel across the country to play Fresno State.

Thursday can not come fast enough for me.

I am just excited College Football is starting.

Obviously I am a BYU / Utah homer (More BYU than anything) I want to see Utah succeed every game this season except for the BYU game because Kalani is their DC.

Really, with BYU announcing the 2 QB system I am really wondering how that will pan out this season or if they eventually shift to an all Heaps or all Nielsen system.

Really looking forward to how we ( U of Washington) plays BYU. It is a really big game for us. We get Syracuse at home in week 2, but then have Nebraska and USC back to back. We get Nebraska at home, so a win against BYU sets up a pretty sweet matchup in week 3 against the Huskers.

What do you think about playing us this weekend? What is the pulse of BYU nation?

I am excited...it's a big game I feel that will set the tone for us for the rest of the season. We have an extremely talented team but they are young.

As far as Cougar nation and their pulse they feel almost like I do. A lot of people feel we will win because it's a home game. I am more concerned at the fact mobile QB's like Locker tend to kill us. But I truly feel it's a game we can win...just have to play smart.

If Sarks is smart he lets his coordinators help with this game. I feel his emotions will get a hold of him more than the USC game. Especially since BYU is bringing all their great QB's back for a presentation at half time.

And in the quirky world of the dominant non-bcs schools, Boise St.'s season really all comes down to its Monday night game v. Virginia Tech.

Personally, I'm looking forward to traveling out to Seattle for Syracuse's game with Washington next week. I'm not sure they last time they played within 1,000 miles where I live now. It will likely be ugly for the Orange, though they have pretty good record in games I've attended over the years, which obviously proves a direct correlation between my presence and Orange success.

I think Syracuse will be a little better this year, but they have no depth. They could give Washington a game, but factoring in the travel will make it tough on them.

I was going to go to this game with a friend who is a 'Cuse alum but decided to pass since NFL opening day is the next day. Hard to sell my wife on an entire weekend lost.

Wisconsin/UNLV should be a surreal experience, seeing my home state team against my school in Sin City. Logic says the Badgers will kick the crap out of the Rebels, who are in Coach Hauck's first season.

My gut says that it will be a very close game and UNLV could pull off the upset, because the Badgers chronically let down in games like this in the Bielema era.

I am pretty convinced that this will continue through the FSU game to let Heaps get his feet wet and not have to shoulder all the pressure of some big non-conference games early. After that I see Heaps taking over, with Nelson getting some specialty reps in wildcat sets.

I could be way off, but I think Bronco looked at the way Whit moved Jordan Wynn into the starting spot last year and is hoping to follow the same blueprint.

Saturday's going to be an interesting day for UCLA.

Everyone picking the game seems to be going with K-State and K-State strong, because it's in Kansas, and because UCLA has been blitzed with injuries to its O-line, lost it's best defensive end and only returning starter on the D-line, and it's possible it will be the second string QB as well.

I can't really argue with any of those facts, but I really feel the people making predictions (as expected, there are a lot of teams to try to follow) aren't looking close enough at UCLA. I don't think they realize that three straight high quality recruiting classes have stocked the UCLA roster with size and speed, and what had been a very young squad in 2008 & 2009 is now a much more tested and physically grown team with juniors and redshirt sophomores as leaders and starters. And they will also be throwing out the Pistol offense, which KState won't have been able to scout, short of checking out Nevada game tape.

Toss on top of that that KState had its own graduation losses, got to a bowl in 2009 basically with the help of a crap OOC schedule and playing the Big 12 North, and is just physically much smaller and probably slower as well than UCLA, and I suspect UCLA will end up winning this one going away (probably a tight score in the first half, but a 2 TD lead by the end of the game).

Admittedly, though, I am biased.

In other news, Lance Bass is gay.

;)

UCLA doesn't have the firepower to win many games going away, unless they're a drastically different team than they have been.

Already getting excited for Saturday. From a pure talent level perspective, I think Washington matches up well with BYU, but home field should be a pretty big advantage for the Cougars what with the noise and the elevation. It's a game that Washington can certainly win, but as the spread shows, it's also a game they could easily lose. They have to prove they can win on the road, and this is a stern test.

Win the game, and the Locker Heisman campaign stays legit; lose, and things get really tough for him. I think the only hope he has of winning a Heisman will rest on getting Gameday out to Seattle for the Nebraska game, and that's only a possibility if the Huskies go into that game 2-0.

Regardless of the Heisman talk, it should be fun watching the Husky offense operate this year with a full year of Sark's system under their belts and almost everyone back. The defense is much more of a question mark, and it will be very interesting to see how they look.

The PAC-10 is gonna be a fun one this year. Some fearless predictions:

-Either Washington, UCLA, or ASU wins 8 games this year.


-Washington State goes winless again in conference

-No California teams finish in the top three of the conference

-Andrew Luck's yards, TD's and INT's all increase.

-Jake Locker is Conference POY

-Oregon State will win the Civil War

Much as it pains me to say it, I think the Cougs will catch a Pac-10 team sleeping this year and win. I doubt they'll have more than 2 wins - Montana State is their lone gimme - but I think they're starting to get back to at least resembling a college football team again, and there are some potentially vulnerable Pac-10 teams that the Cougs could upset.

I’m pretty frickin’ jacked for this weekend; it’s not often the Beavs get down to this neck of the woods, let alone virtually in my backyard. It’s going to be a busy weekend, friends and family start showing up on Thursday.

As for the game, I think the 12 point spread is about right. TCU is really, really good and OSU hasn’t exactly exploded out of the gate in past years. All of the preseason press has centered on whether Ryan Katz can take over at QB, but with so many good players back around him I’m not worried about the offense. Defense may be another story though; having two starters quite in the offseason to be with their families has caused some problems. The guys stepping in are going to be good, but it will take some time to get them up to speed.

Regardless of what happens on the field, it’s going to be a hell of a fun day.

You need to study up on UCLA a little more, I think. If they stumble on offense, it won't be because of talent or "firepower". They return three of their top four WRs and add Ricky Marvray, who has been incredible in practice, and an electric athlete in former CU Buffalo in Josh Smith. They lost two solid but mistake-prone TEs in Moya and Paulsen and replace them with Notre Dame transfer Joseph Fauria and an increased role for Cory Harkey, who was often better than the seniors he is replacing. They return their top two RBs and added the #5 and #6 RBs in the nation, including the Gatorade National Player of the Year in Malcolm Jones (and Jones is already making a big impression). The new offense features a position called the F-Back, a hybrid FB/TE position out of which another super frosh Anthony Barr has more or less been starring in practice. And by all reports, Prince has turned himself into a strong armed passer who has a very strong grasp of the offense.

There is a ton of firepower at UCLA. The question will be whether an experienced line will hold up after all the injury issues that have hit it the past few months. If the line holds up and Prince stays healthy (another big if), this offense is going to score some points.

UConn @ Michigan will be interesting as hell. Michigan already has ND and the rest of the Big Ten schedule to deal with and RR to me needs at least 7 wins to keep the pitchforks at bay.

Addendum: I think that, until proven otherwise, Karl, you're right about UCLA offense not pulling away with respect to many games against the Pac 10; they have to earn that more on the field before we can say that.

My (hopeful) prediction of pulling away from KState isn't just based on the above, but also on the lack of tape KState will have on UCLA running the Pistol (which the Pac 10 will have) and the issues KState has on defense, which includes being massively undersized in comparison to the UCLA front line, and starting converted running backs and wide receivers at some spots or completely new to D1 fresh-faced players at others, issues that affect KState's line, two LB spots and both corner spots, all very key issues in Week 1. Some of the advantages UCLA might have are directly related to the fact it's Week 1. They won't much enjoy those advantages again after that (so they'll have to prove it with talent and production, which I hope they'll be able to do).

Big10 schedule will see a few losses.

Uconn should beat Michigan. RR is already gone. From what I understand he was set up to fail. Unless he wins a National championship he will be fired.

Minnesota is not a sure bet. They should be thanking their lucky stars MTSUs QB got arrested and suspended for the season. Minny may win now.

Illinois will be lucky to stay within 21 of Missouri.

Other then that, it should be a cake walk for the best conference in the world.

I hope Boise St loses.
I hope Navy wins.
I think Kansas ST will beat UCLA>

KSU was not bowl eligible last season since they needed seven wins rather than the usual six because of their having two FCS opponents on their schedule. The thing that will be dangerous for UCLA is that KSU played much better at home then they did on the road. I'm guessing that's one reason KSU is getting so much love against UCLA.

I haven't seen UCLA, but if they can stop the run then they have a shot at beating KSU. Daniel Thomas is one of the best runners in the Big 12 so it's easier said than done. KSU's receiving corps has some athletes, but none of them are proven receivers and the KSU QB's job is to simply not turn the ball over. On defense, KSU has a couple of playmakers, but very little depth. UCLA needs to strike early to get the crowd out of the game and force KSU to throw the ball. Definitely do not underestimate KSU. They have a knack for playing to their strengths and coming away with wins at home.

Wowser:

Mark Ingram of Alabama Crimson Tide has knee injury, ruled out against San Jose State - ESPN

Indiana hosts Towson this Thursday. We had better smash them to pieces, or I'll be worried.

Masoli ruled ineligible. The NCAA finally got something correct.

One of the rare times I can go, "meh." Not that it isn't important, but 'Bama has a back up that many consider to be even better and there's depth behind even him. It becomes a bigger issue if it lingers as the season goes on.

If Minnesota's offensive line has improved a bit they should beat MTSU, and I think they would even if Dasher were playing. The offensive line is what killed them last year and should be improved, how much better the offensive line is will be the biggest factor in determining how well Minnesota does this year.

If Michigan can run the ball they'll win. UConn is a very solid team but also very overrated. Their D is vastly overrated from last year. Taken from a UM forum:


We should be able to run on them and do enough in the air to keep them off balance.

Doesn't mean I expect more then 8-4 at best on the year, but considering the actual talent we'll have come 2011, I sure hope it gets figured out this year.

in other news: lol

?

Sorry, I just wish bad things on Ole Miss lately. Forgive me.

Did they?

I think so.

IMO if you allow a kid who is a total creep to the point where he gets kicked off his team to transfer to another school and be allowed to play it sets a bad precedent.

If the NCAA had clear rules about player behavior expectations off the field, then I'd agree with you. But that's unlikely to happen - the NCAA defers to member institutions to govern themselves in that regard.

If it's a legitimate ruling in regard to his academic eligibility, then job well done by the NCAA. But if they used this ruling as a way to pass moral judgment, then I think they are taking a step into policing something that isn't their domain.

If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at Ole Miss for taking him on.

I'm not "mad" about anything, and I do think Ole Miss needs some blame, as does the whole win at all costs institution. All this kid is learning is that you can break the rules but it is ok if you run really fast and can throw a ball.

That is somewhat true. But that isn't strictly the NCAA's fault. And it's not completely true, because he will be subject to whatever judgment is rendered in the theft case, just like anyone else would be.

All I'm saying is that the NCAA should not be exceeding their boundaries. I think it would be highly difficult for them to write up a code of conduct for all NCAA athletes beyond just the basics - this isn't a private, professional league we're talking about here. If there was some element of moral judgment influencing their ruling on his academic eligibility at Mississippi, that's wrong IMO.

If they take out VT, they have a solid chance of playing in the BCS Championship game.

Look what they let happen with coaches. A coach can ruin a school with sanctions...leave for another and start all over.

Masoli isn't being punished because of his behavior or for being kicked off of another team, as far as I can tell. He simply applied for a waiver so that he would not have to sit out a season as a transfer and it was denied.

There was a rule that briefly existed a few seasons ago, where you could transfer to another school with immediate eligibility if you had already earned a degree (which Masoli had) and wanted to pursue a master's degree in a discipline that did not exist at your current school. They closed that loophole after just a season or two (if I recall correctly), but have allowed people to apply for and granted them immediate eligibility.

Not so for Masoli, it appears.

Damn, does this mean he won't be able to get his masters in Parks and Recreation now? The NCAA is ruining this kids future.

Jason Forcier was denied this same waiver last year trying to go from Stanford back to Michigan while enrolling in a grad program there.

Arrested and suspended for the season? Um, no.

Ok. He is part of an ongoing investigation by police for trying to repay a $1500 loan he "received" from an 80 year old guy. He tried to "repay" the loan by stealing a teammates checks.

He is only suspended for 30% of the season so far. This is for violating NCAA regulations concerning his amateurism.

If any of this is true, he will be suspended for the season. You cannot keep a guy on your team that no one trusts.

You know, this is the second reference to "MTSU" in this thread that I have seen today. Last I checked, MTSU stands for Middle Tennessee State University. Also last time I checked, they were of no importance whatsoever. Why is MTSU not only getting mentions, but even what sounds like respect? Did I miss something?

Yeah, the rule is pretty cut and dried that this is not a way for a player who has been dismissed from a team to transfer right away. They closed that loophole and I have no idea why Ole Miss is so confident they are going to win this. But I'm no lawyer and have been wrong on these before.

Oh and Houston Nutt just STFU. A lot of college coaches are shameless but really - "We're in the people helping business"? Was he in the people helping business when he told Masoli where to go before his starting QB transferred?

Also coming from the coach that would sign 50 kids per year if the SEC would let him. He just loves helping people out.

schadjoe

Missouri RB Derrick Washington "permanantly suspended" from program

Also saw this on another forum with it

GabeDeArmond

#Mizzou has announced Derrick Washington has been "permanently suspended." He will not return to the Tiger football team.

Poor MBBF, now people are just piling on:

ChipBrownOB

Rough month for #Mizzou with Washington being kicked off team, and 3 others involved in DWI-related arrests, including an asst coach.

Holy shit.

Iowa's center is out for the season after this moped accident: