2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 9

Today we are going to start a more detailed preview as we start breaking down my preseason Top 25.

TEAMS #21-25

#25 Kansas Jayhawks (12-1 last season)
The Jayhawks had a pretty amazing run last season on their way to the schools first BCS bowl game, where they defeated #5 Virginia Tech 24-21. Kansas has the core of that team back, led by QB Todd Reesing who threw 33 TDs last year, but the conference schedule will not be nearly as favorable as last year. Last season the Jayhawks missed the top 3 teams from the South division of the Big XII (Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech). This year they get all 3. Throw in an improving Nebraska team on the road and the finale against rival Missouri and it could lead to some tough times ahead for Kansas.

#24 Pitt Panthers (5-7)
The Panthers have failed miserably in living up to expectations since Dave Wannestedt took over in '05, going 16-19. Everything finally looks to be in place for the Panthers though this season. The biggest question mark for the Panthers in the O-line. With the return of Bill Stull at QB after a season ending injury in the 3rd quarter of the season opener and all-conference WR Derek Kinder the passing game should open some space for LeSean McCoy and the running game. As for the defense, a unit that finished #5 in overall defense nationally last year, it should be solid again. The defense is led by Scott McKillop who led the nation in tackles last year and anchors the LB Corps which returns all 3 starters. Again the O-line is the key though this year and will dictate the success of the Panthers. If the O-line struggles Pitt is a 6-7 win team at best, but if the unit gels and finds success early the sky is the limit and a Big East Title is not unrealistic.

#23 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-4)
Wake followed up their 11-3 Orange Bowl season is 2006 with a 9 win season. The defense returns 9 starters from a solid team that held 4 of their final 5 opponents under 20 points. CB Alphonso Smith is probably the best shutdown corner in ACC maybe the nation. He led Wake with 8 INTs 3 of which he returned for TDs. The offense will once again be led by junior signal caller Riley Skinner who is hoping to bounce back from a sluggish sophomore year. Wake should challenge Clemson for the Atlantic Division this season and get the Tigers at home on a Thursday primetime game. Clemson has won 3 of the last 4 in this match-up and this years winner should represent the division in the ACC Title game in Tampa this December.

#22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-5)
Rutgers will be going through an offensive makeover this season changing from a power running team to a wide open passing game. Ray Rice rushed for over 2,000 yards last season and he is now suiting up on Sundays, so rather then trying to replace that Greg Schiano will put the offense on the throwing arm of Mike Teel. Teel threw for over 3,000 yards last year and returns his 2 favorite targets Kenny Britt (62 rec, 1,232 yards, 8 TDs) and Tiquan Underwood (65, 1,100, 7). The defense returns 8 starters from a team that underachieved last year. Rutgers does have an uphill climb in conference play due to the difficult draw from the schedule makers. The Scarlet Knights must travel to Pitt, USF, Cincinnati and WVU.

#21 Tennessee Volunteers (10-4)
The Vols will be breaking in a new QB this year to replace the schools 3rd all-time leading passer Erik Ainge. Jon Crompton looks to have the upper hand to replace Ainge, but he threw only 12 passes last year and will have to get comfortable fast. The Vols kick off the season @UCLA on Labor Day and then follow that up with games against Florida and Auburn to finish off the September schedule. While Crompton is settling in Arian Foster will be carrying the load on the ground. He ran for nearly 1,200 yards and 12 TDs last season and with 4 of the 5 starters back on the O-line should be able to top those numbers this season. The defense is a young unit, but Sophomore SS Eric Berry returns as the teams 2nd leading tackler and led the team with 5 INTs last year.

TOMORROW:
Teams #16-20

ONLY 21 DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!!

2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 8

TOP GAMES IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER

WEEK 10:
Wisconsin @ Michigan State
Nebraska @ Oklahoma
Pitt @ Notre Dame
Florida @ Georgia
Texas @ Texas Tech

WEEK 11:
Cincinnati @ West Virginia
Clemson @ Florida State
Alabama @ LSU
Kansas @ Nebraska

WEEK 12:
Virginia Tech @ Miami (Thursday Nov 13th)
Ohio State @ Illinois
Georgia @ Auburn
Texas @ Kansas
Rutgers @ South Florida

WEEK 13:
Pitt @ Cincinnati
Michigan @ Ohio State
Texas Tech @ Oklahoma
BYU @ Utah

WEEK 14:
Texas A&M @ Texas (Thursday Nov 27th)
West Virginia @ Pitt (Friday Nov 28th)
Auburn @ Alabama
Kansas @ Missouri

WEEK 15:
South Florida @ West Virginia
Southern Cal @ UCLA

TOMORROW:
Breaking down the teams #21-25 in my preseason Top 25

ONLY 22 DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!

2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 7

Let's just pick up where we left off yesterday.

TOP GAMES IN OCTOBER
WEEK 6:
Pitt @ South Florida (Thursday Oct 2nd)
Florida State @ Miami
Missouri @ Nebraska
Ohio State @ Wisconsin
Oregon @ Southern Cal

WEEK 7: (possibly the best saturday of football all season)
Clemson @ Wake Forest (Thursday Oct 9th)
Rutgers @ Cincinnati
LSU @ Florida
Tennessee @ Georgia
Nebraska @ Texas Tech
Oklahoma @ Texas
Penn State @ Wisconsin
Arizona State @ Southern Cal

WEEK 8:
Kansas @ Oklahoma
Michigan @ Penn State
Missouri @ Texas

WEEK 9: (also in consideration for best week)
Auburn @ West Virginia (Thursday Oct 23rd)
Alabama @ Tennessee
Oregon @ Arizona State
Colorado @ Missouri
Virginia Tech @ Florida State
Georgia @ Florida
Illinois @ Wisconsin
Texas Tech @ Kansas
Penn State @ Ohio State
Rutgers @ Pitt

WEEK 10:
South Florida @ Cincinnati (Thursday Oct 30th)

TOMORROW:
the best games in November (including the rest of week 10)

ONLY 23 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!

2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 6

Sorry for the delay today, I went golfing today and it threw off my daily schedule. As for golfing, I put up the best round of the year for myself with an 88, which included going 3 wood, hybrid and sinking about a 10-15 footer for my first career eagle on the 1st hole.

As for the game of football, and todays preview, lets get going on that. Today we are looking at the best games in the month of September.

TOP GAMES IN SEPTEMBER (AUGUST 30th included too)
WEEK 1:
Missouri vs Illinois @ St.Louis
Clemson vs Alabama @Atlanta
Kentucky @ Louisville

WEEK 2: It is a reach to find good games this week, but next week makes up for it.
Cincinnati @Oklahoma
Miami (FL) @ Florida
Oregon State @ Penn State

WEEK 3:
Kansas @ South Florida (Friday Sept. 12th)
Wisconsin @ Fresno State
Arkansas @ Texas
UCLA @ BYU
GAME OF THE SEASON:
the Ohio State University @ Southern Cal

WEEK 4:
West Virginia @ Colorado (Thursday Sept. 18th)
Alabama @ Arkansas
Georgia @ Arizona State
Florida @ Tennessee
LSU @ Auburn

WEEK 5:
Southern Cal @ Oregon State (Thursday Sept. 25th)
Fresno State @ UCLA
Tennessee @ Auburn
Virginia Tech @ Nebraska
Illinois @ Penn State

I will be finishing my weekly blog throughout the season this year by predicting the winner of each of these games that I have selected.

TOMORROW:
Best games of October

ONLY 24 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!

2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 5

Yesterday we looked at the teams that challenge themselves during the non-conference portions of their schedule, today, those schools that don't.

TEAMS WITH THE WORST NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

When looking for the worst non-conference schedule I focused on a few things. I looked at teams that failed to schedule at least one other BCS conference team, teams that play D1-AA games and teams that never left home. Here are the teams that I feel did the worst job in scheduling.

TEXAS TECH-
There are 5 teams that play more than 1 game against D1-AA teams, Texas Tech is doing so for the 3rd straight year. The Red Raiders do go on the road, but it is to Nevada, hardly a tough road game, however that game will be their biggest challenge during their pathetic non-conference schedule. Here is how it plays out for the Red Raiders:

Aug 30th vs Eastern Washington (D1-AA)
Sept 6th @ Nevada
Sept 13th vs Southern Methodist
Sept 20th vs Massachusetts (D1-AA)

KANSAS-
Kansas has a slightly tougher schedule then fellow Big XII partner Tech, but very slightly. The Jayhawks do travel to South Florida, for a weeknight game, which will be a tough game, but the other 3 games are such a joke that they still find themselves on this list. I guess after beating up on 4 patsies last year Mangino and Co. thought that was the best way to go again this year. Take a look:

Aug 30th vs Florida International
Sept 6th vs Louisiana Tech
Sept 12th @ South Florida
Sept 20th vs Sam Houston State (D1-AA)

For as good as this team has been over the past few years you would think they might try to challenge themselves a little in the non-conference. The team that takes the cake, or should I say cupcake, for the easiest and most pathetic non-conference is none other then the defending National Champs...
LSU-
I don't want to hear the argument that the SEC is tough enough so LSU doesn't need to schedule a tough non-conference slate. The rest of the SEC teams all managed to schedule at least one team with a pulse during the non-conference. On top of playing a bunch of teams that won't be within a 30 point spread on game day the Tigers also are one of only 4 teams in the nation with 8 home games this season. Here is who LSU will be destroying with this fall:

Aug 30th vs Appalachian State (D1-AA) (I don't want to hear the Michigan argument from last year)
Sept 6th vs Troy
Sept 13th vs North Texas
Nov 1st vs Tulane

Here's hoping that all 3 of these teams go undefeated and get left out of the title game for a terrible strength on schedule.

TOMORROW:
Best games in September

ONLY 25 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!!

2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 4

TOUGHEST NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULES

When rating team schedules certain things impress me:

- BCS teams that still put together a tough slate even though their conference schedule will be no walk in the park.

- Teams that aren't afraid to travel.

- Non-BCS teams that know that if they want to be taken seriously they need to prove it on the field and schedule any and every challenger.

I found 2 teams that meet that mold and went far beyond most teams when putting together this seasons schedule.

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS
This is the non-BCS team that could show up in a big-time bowl this season if they take care of business on the field. The Bulldogs have put together a schedule that will quiet any skeptics from the big time conferences if they can finish 4-0. The schedule includes 2 trips across the country, 2 top 25 opponents and only 1 home game. The 1st month of the season look like this for Fresno State.

Sept 1 @ Rutgers
Sept 13 vs Wisconsin
Sept 20 @ Toledo
Sept 27 @ UCLA

Toledo is the only gimme of the group here and that may not even be a walkover. You never know how a team will react to playing a noon game after traveling across the country the day before.

WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Normally a BCS team coming off a 4-9 season would order up more cupcakes then Mark Mangino at a bake sale fund raiser, but that is not the case with the Huskies. Washington loaded up the slate for their 3 non-conference games this season. With 2 teams in the top 20, and 1 looking for a big bounce back season , this schedule won't make that seat any cooler for Huskies head coach, Tyrone Willingam. Here is a look at the Huskies non-conference schedule.

Sept 6 vs BYU
Sept 13 vs Oklahoma
Oct 25 vs Notre Dame

While the Huskies don't travel in these 3 games it is still unlikely they win any. Props for bringing in great teams for your fans to watch, but normally you would like to win at least 1 of them.

TOMORROW:
Teams that get a failing grade with their non-conference schedule

ONLY 26 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!

2008 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Day 3

I'll be coming from the Outer Banks, North Carolina this week, Hopefully I will be able to continue the once a day preview, but if not, to bad, I'm on vacation, LEAVE ME ALONE!


THE 5 BEST NON-CONFERENCE GAMES TO WATCH FOR

These are in order of when the games are being played, but no matter when they are played these are 5 games you will not want to miss this football season.

AUGUST 30th
Missouri vs Illinois (in St.Louis)-
This is a classic match-up of 2 teams that should be right in the middle of their conference races, that could take a big win over their rival a long way. The Boarder War will face a Illinois team with great team speed on defense against one of the most explosive offensives in the game in Missouri.

SEPTEMBER 12th
Kansas @ South Florida-
Playing at Raymond James Stadium on a weeknight is not fun for opposing teams, just ask Pat White and West Virginia. Kansas will be tested early this season after eating-up all their cupcakes during the non-conference last season.

SEPTEMBER 13th
the Ohio State University @ Southern Cal-
This is no question the game of the year with these two top 5 teams going head to head. The winner is on the fast path to the National Championship game, and everyone outside the state of Ohio is pulling for the Trojans so we don't have to watch another blowout in the title game.

SEPTEMBER 20th
Georgia @ Arizona State-
Georgia, who seems to be everyones early favorite, takes on a tough task of traveling across the country for a big-time showdown with the riding power in the PAC-10. If Georgia wants to prove they are for real this season, this is the game to do it. Everyone should be watching.

OCTOBER 23rd
Auburn @ West Virginia-
Normally nobody leave Morgantown with a win on a prime-time Thursday night game, but Auburn may have a little edge for their trip north. New Auburn D-Coordinator, Paul Rhoads, is the same guy who put in the game plan last year for Pitt when the Panthers ruined the Mountaineers title hopes, holding them to just 7 offensive points.

TOMORROW:
Props to the team with the best non-conference schedule

ONLY 27 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE 1st SATURDAY OF THE SEASON!!!!