Category — College Football

Like we needed an excuse.
OU vs. Florida State. It’s a rematch of the 2000 national championship game, which the Sooners dominated in a 13-2 victory. And it’s another one of the marquee matchups in college football on Saturday.
Though OU is favored by 10, some believe it might be vulnerable against an improved Seminole bunch under 1st-year head coach Jimbo Fisher. OU’s crappy play last Saturday in a 31-24 victory over Utah State, a 31-point underdog, also raises questions.
Still, we don’t believe OU’s 31-game winning streak, the longest in the nation, will come to an end. We believe the Sooners will win in a shootout because we’re not convinced either team will be able to shut down the other offensively despite OU Coach Bob Stoops facing his brother Mark, who is Florida State’s defensive coordinator.
NewsOK.com

There are several intriguing matchups in college football this weekend and ‘Bama-Penn State is one of them. Many believe the Nittany Lions can give the defending national champions some trouble, particularly since the Tide is without Heisman winner Mark Ingram and defensive standout Marcell Dareus.
But Penn State will venture into Tuscaloosa with a freshman quarterback (Rob Bolden) starting his 1st road game. Facing the nation’s No. 1 team on its home turf is a tall order for any quarterback, but it’s a daunting one for a freshman.
Despite being without 2 of their stars, we still believe ‘Bama is too deep. Quarterback Greg McElroy, still unbeaten as a starter at ‘Bama, and Julio Jones are just 2 of the reasons. Good luck stopping that duo.
Plus, it’s difficult for us to imagine a Big 10 team going into a hostile SEC environment and coming away with a victory.
The good folks in Vegas also agree. ‘Bama is favored by 12.
SI.com

Georgia’s A.J. Green is the latest player to suffer from the misguided wrath of the NCAA. The wide receiver received a 4-game suspension for selling a jersey he wore in last year’s Independence Bowl for $1,000 to an agent. That’s pretty harsh. Tell us again, how much money does this organization make off players like Green?
Just as bad, the NCAA, which has been investigating this since July, took its sweet time in handing down a decision.
Georgia is appealing the ruling. Good luck with that.
Despite what Gregory Lamar Slocum, a barking porch dog in Orange County and head of Bulldog Nation on the West Coach, might believe, it’s a good bet Green’s absence will cost Georgia a victory. The Bulldogs visit South Carolina on Saturday and host Arkansas the following week.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Despite what Brent Musburger says, Boise State’s victory over Virginia Tech is only 1 win. But that’s Musburger, who we like, but sometimes gets carried away with his analysis (and he’s he the play-by-play guy) when he’s broadcasting a game. Boise Coach Chris Peterson has a clue though. “Game 1 and that’s what it is,” Peterson said.
Still, it was a big for the Broncos, who are riding on a high since they are the flavor of many to win college football’s national championship. But it’s a long journey ahead, and despite their weak schedule, Boise State will be tested to keep its unbeaten streak alive.
The Broncos though were able to do so Monday night despite by blowing a 17-point lead. They got a few gifts down the strech, including a questionable personal foul call on their game-winning drive and some brain cramps by Va Tech Coach Frank Beamer and his staff.
Idaho Statesman

Dropped passes were just one of the problems for UCLA in its 31-22 loss to K-State on Saturday. The Bruins’ defense also was suspect as Daniel Thomas ran for a career-high 234 yards.
We’ve heard some national writers say the Bruins would be one of the surprises of the season. But as we said weeks ago, we’re not buying it.
O.C. Register

In our best Gomer Pyle imitation…we’re looking at you Pitt. Utah allowed the Panthers to rally and force overtime in their college football opener Thursday night, but the Utes delivered in OT, when the No. 15 Panthers pissed away an opportunity with a turnover.
AP

The long-awaited college football season kicks off Thursday with 4 games, including Marshall visiting Ohio State and USC playing at Hawaii. Everyone is an expert at this point and your guesses are as good as any of the so-called experts. But we’ll offer Ted Miller’s opinions as a starting point. We don’t agree (and never will you) with everything Mr. Miller says, but we like some of them, such as Akeem Ayers as the Pac-10′s Defense Player of the Year.
ESPN.com

The way we hear it, Mayra Veronica, instead of Kim, is doing push ups with Reggie Bush.
Super Bowl ring. Kim Kardashian. Amber Rose. National championship? Three out for 4 isn’t bad, right?
No surprise here as USC tries to clean up its image and the cards it has been dealt. Still, it’s not like we’ll forget how the Trojans hammered Oklahoma for the 2004 national title. Just more symbolic (if that’s what you want to call it) bs.
ESPN LA

We all know that the SEC is still the best conference in college football. It has produced the last 4 national champions and the defending champ (Alabama) is favored to win it all again. And though expectations are always high, no one knows what to expect from Florida.
So what about Georgia and LSU? Both are expected to be contenders for conference superiority, but the Bulldogs never manage to meet high expectations. They never can handle the pressure.
LSU, with the arrogant Les Miles running the ship, won the 2007 national title, but the natives haven’t been impressed with what they’ve seen from him since then.
So does this mean Miles and Georgia’s Mark Richt are on the hot seat? It depends on who you ask. We believe Richt has more pressure heading into the season since he has a new athletic director looking over his shoulder, but we don’t believe Miles is in danger yet of losing his job. But the latter has some of the most vocal critics in the SEC.
But hey, if the Tigers are just bait for ‘Bama, Florida, Georgia and some of the other contenders in the SEC, Miles always has a standing invitation at Michigan. The way the Wolverine faithful look at it, LSU’s loss would definitely be their gain. Are you listening Rich Rodriguez?
SI.com

Ruffin McNeill should be the head coach at Texas Tech. Instead, McNeill is the leading man at East Carolina.
Despite leading the Red Raiders in to an inspiring victory over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl last December, when he made some gutsy calls to help the Red Raiders clinch the victory, McNeill, who had replaced Mike Leach as interim coach for the contest, found himself without a job. Texas Tech officials exhibited a serious lack of class and kicked McNeill to the curve, choosing Tommy Tuberville as the school’s head coach.
Sour grapes? Not McNeill. He sees his perch at East Carolina as the opportunity of a lifetime.
FanHouse.com