College Football Weekend 9/3/09-9/7/09

It feels like 1000 years since last football season. An entire generation of children has grown up and raised their own children since the last time I wrote this, and I’ve grown a year more cynical and jaded, but not wiser. In fact I promise 50% less insight and wittiness this year! And I know what you are saying, “Marty you were never that insightful or witty to begin with.” Well I’ve also gained weight, so there…In college football, as in life, things change albeit slowly sometimes. No longer is it the case where at the beginning of the year there are 10 or less teams that will contend for the title. Now you potentially have 25-30 teams in the nation that have a realistic chance at a national title.

Since we’re talking about change, it should also be mentioned that change is slow. Case in point: Utah. Utah was the only team in the country to go undefeated last year, yet they were not allowed to play for the national title. This isn’t the 70’s or 80’s or even 90’s anymore. Games are broadcast on networks all throughout the country. ESPN covers every game in Division 1 and it takes 15 minutes to glance over and see who a team has played. And yet the mindset still remains that only teams from big conferences can win the national title. So despite a larger number of teams having a realistic chance, still it remains unlikely that a team from a “less prestigious” conference will win a title. To date only the 1984 BYU team has won a national title in the modern era.

But enough fluff, on to this weekend itself. This is actually a fantastic weekend for college football. It’s the first weekend of the year and there are a handful of great games. Besides the games between ranked schools there’s always a couple games between high profile schools and smaller creampuff schools that end up being exciting or even ending in upsets (Michigan vs. Appalachian State) because the big teams haven’t quite found their polish and rhythm yet.

Thursday: September 3rd
# 16 Oregon at #14 Boise State 10PM EST
Sear your eyes watching the bright blue field on HD. Make it so that the rest of your football watching season is slightly blue. The Bronco’s of Boise State haven’t lost a home game since 2001, since then they have won 49 straight games at home and they have posted records of 12-1, 13-1, 11-1, 9-4, 13-0, 10-3, and 12-1 in the seven seasons since 2001. The Oregon Ducks are perennially disappointments to the high expectations they face, and were upset at home last year by Boise. Kellen Moore was the Broncos outstanding freshman quarterback last year who will look to continue running the innovative and high powered Boise offense. Oregon will look to start off their season with a win, which would be great because they have arguably the hardest schedule in the country, they have absolutely zero weak teams.

Expect this game to be exciting, not only because it’s the first big game of the year, but also because both teams have really fun offenses. I’ll pick Oregon to win, despite Boise’s long streak.

Saturday September 5th
Appalachian State at East Carolina 12PM EST
Appalachian State is one of the best Division 1-AA teams in the country, and their QB Armanti Edwards is a dual threat quarterback for the Mountaineers. However he hurt his foot mowing the lawn last month, so it’s unlikely we’ll see him. Despite that the Mountaineers always have a strong team, and typically start off strong, beating Michigan two years ago in the opener. The East Carolina Pirates were the darling giant slayers last year until they themselves fell victim to NC State, prior to that they had huge upset wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia. QB Patrick Pinkney is a strong armed gunslinger who is hard to bring down.

With Armanti Edwards App. State probably has a real chance at the upset here, but without him the East Carolina Pirates are probably the stronger team, and they should win a close one.

#13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma State 3:30PM EST
The Oklahoma State Cowboys were one of the best offenses in the country last year, just like every team in the big 12. Their spread offense led by QB Zac Robinson scored 20 points or more every single game. The Georgia Bulldogs lost their two best offensive weapons in QB Mathew Stafford, and RB Knowshon Moreno, both of whom are now playing in the NFL and making way more money then I will in my lifetime. What is left behind is a Georgia defense that is stacked against stopping the run, which will force Robinson to pass.

The key here is the OSU offense vs. the Georgia Defense, but the wrinkle is that OSU has two of the best punt/kick returners in the country. Normally I would favor the better defensive team, but not when playing on the road in the first game of the year. The Cowboys will do just enough to get by.

#20 Brigham Young vs. #3 Oklahoma 7PM EST
This game is an early test for two programs who would love to be in contention for a National Title. The BYU Cougars are year in and year out one of my favorite programs to watch because they run a pro style offense and generally keep their noses pretty clean. The Oklahoma Sooners have a very strong team both offensively and defensively and should be fun to watch. Both teams boast especially strong Quarterbacks in Max Hall for BYU and Sam Bradford for Oklahoma, both of which were two of the most prolific passers in the nation last year and Bradford won the Heisman trophy.

BYU is a great team, but they may have tried to bite off more then they can chew much like this monstrous apple I’ve been trying to eat all day (seriously it seems like I’ve been eating this apple for 45 minutes and it’s like half done and my jaw is tired). Oklahoma outguns and out-mans BYU in almost every category possible. They also have to travel the shorter distance to the game, which is apparently a very accurate decider for games played at neutral sites.

#5 Alabama vs #7 Virginia Tech 8PM EST
The Hokies of Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University hold an all time record of 1-10 against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Leading the Hokies is the often shaky QB Tyrod Taylor, who has been at times a hot commodity and riding the pine (sitting on the bench) at others. QB Greg McElroy is the first year starter for the Crimson Tide, a team which lost both it’s starting running back and quarterback to the NFL. Historically both of these teams are fantastic defensively, and this could be all about defense, much like my performance reviews (ouch). Earlier in the week it was unclear if Alabama would have two of its star players available due to possible NCAA suspensions, however both have been cleared to play, but that may still serve as a distraction.

Based on the rule I set above for team being closer to neutral site winning, I’m going to have to pick Alabama, who is slightly closer to Atlanta than Virgina Tech.

Monday September 7th
Miami at #17 Florida State
It’s technically illegal to write a college football column and not mention these two teams playing each other. So I’m mentioning it.


As always I will post all the articles at http://www.fatkidmusings.blogspot.com/
If you would like to have a friend added to the e-mail list just shoot me their e-mail and I’ll make it happen. If you are tired of my sillyness and think poorly of me just let me know and I’ll remove you from the mailing list. Have a fun and safe labor day weekend!