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Northwestern -3 versus Miami (oh) ...This game is a game of questions. Miami has many questions to fill regarding every aspect of their team. They do have a lot of talent that should help this team have a successful season. With that being said, I do not think they will become a good team until Mid-September/October. I think this will become a game where Miami fans will look back on as "Man we could/ should have won that game". NW is by no means that much further than Miami. CJ Bacher will likely be the starting QB for this team. He had a great spring game throwing for 2 TDs (8-11 121 yards). Though they have been hit hard at WR by graduation, Shaun Herbert will be back. I believe he was honorable mention all Big 10 last year (think of all the great WRs this conference has). Sophomore to be Tyrell Sutton is a top 10 back in the nation INO. This kid went to school in Akron (where I am from) and about shattered every high school record that this state has. He is unbelievable and had a great freshman season. I really expect him to be the difference in this game. On the line NW loses all American Zach Strief but returns the other monsters and should be fine. The bottom line in this game is Tyrell Sutton! I expect him to get upwards around 200 yards. I also will look at the over in this game because I expect a lack of defense both ways.
Kent State + 17 versus Minnesota - I like Kent in this spot. This is one of the biggest home games in KSU history. They have been advertising for this game all summer. Now to the teams: Michael Machen is Kent's starting QB. He returns after an up and down year. He has talent (was at Alabama for a year before he decided to play minor league baseball) and can be a viable QB. He is athletic and has size (6'6" 235). The Golden Flashes have two sub 4.4 backs (Sophomore Tony Howard and Freshman Eugene Jarvis). These speedy backs, along with 4 returning WRs should cause all types of problems for this Minnesota defense. Minnesota has a bad d-line that does not get any pressure on QBs (15 sacks in 12 games last year). With time, Machen could and will rip apart these Gopher DBs. And I already know people will be saying, "Well KSUs OL is terrible...." Yes they were not that good last year but word around here is that this will be one of their strengths this year. Augustus Parrish is a legitimate NFL prospect (Sophomore) that will anchor this line. Minny's OL is beaten up and bad and they still do not have a legitimate replacement for Gary Russel. BOTTOM LINE: These teams are heading in different directions. KSU can only go one way after a 1-10 season last year. Minnesota will suffer because of the loss of Russel and the loss of many of their key defensive players IMO. Kent has potential to have a good offense. I expect Kent to keep this close and have a chance to win it at the end.
Tennessee - 2 over Cal- I will start with Cal... They have the potential to be one of the top teams in the country this year and have a good chance to win the Pac 10. Since his take over 5 years ago, Jeff Tedford has completely turned to Cal program around. With this being the first year where only his players are here, Cal backers expect big things. The top scoring defense in the Pac 10 from a year ago returns 8 starters and looks to have another good year. Offensively they lost 3 lineman to the draft. A Duke transfer, Tyler Krieg should help solidify this line. Andrew Cameron, if he can stay healthy, will also help this OL. Cal is loaded in the skilled positions (WR, TE, and RB). At QB it looks more and more like Nate Longshore will be the man. He originally was the starter last year before breaking his ankle. He put up decent stats in one game BUT it was against Sacramento State! This passing attack finished last in the Pac 10 a year ago. Tennessee is coming off one of their worse years in the modern era. This usually great football power, went from pre-season Top 5 to losing to Vanderbilt and not making a bowl. 3 of their 6 losses could be pointed to the fact of missed opportunities. They needed 1 first down against Vanderbilt to seal the game and could not. Against Bama they fumbled a sure TD run and against SC missed opps gave them a 1 pt. loss I believe. Defensively this team is absolutely stacked. The DL lost players from a year ago but have tons of talent to step in. Jason Herril is a big kid that will anchor this DL. Scouting reports say that he had a great spring and is ready to produce this Fall. Along with this Volunteer LB crew the secondary has a lot of talent. Offensively, this team has many questions. The RB slot is not one of them. THey have a 3 headed monster if you will; with Arian Foster(100+ yards in all 5 starts a year ago), Montario Hardesty (originally ahead of Foster but blew out his knee), and LaMarcus Coker ( a third back that underwent off-season surgery). At WR there are many upper-class-man fighting for the jobs. My favorite out of these is junior Cutcliffe ( he coached here before going to Miss for awhile; correct me if I am wrong). The coaches are pleased with his progression. BOTTOM LINE: Cal is a good team that ultimately will be ranked higher than Tennessee IMO. I do not think Cal is ready to win a game of this magnitude this early in the season. They are traveling 2500 miles to play before one of the toughest crowds in the nation. With an unproven OL and a question at QB I expect CAL to struggle. Couple these things with the talent on the defensive side of the ball for Tenn. and I expect a low scoring victory for Tenn.
Central Michigan + 14 vs. BC - First I want to let you all know that I think Central Michigan will have a great year. Lets first look at BC though: The Eagles return this year with about half their starters from a year before (return 6 on both sides). Matt Ryan(undefeated as a starter 5-0) is back and ready to roll at QB for the Eagles. Though he is yet to be tested for a full season, where teams have time and tape to prepare with. Ryan's passing game could take a major hit due to the fact that both starting receivers and the number 1 TE graduated. BC is once again strong in the secondary with 3 returners. Also they have the 1-2 punch at RB that amassed over 1500 yards last season. BC has a big O-line that will help keep rushers off Ryan. Graduation and the NFL will put a big dent in the BCs DL. They will look to the HUGE B.J. Raji to anchor this line. Brian Toal (played some FB last year I believe?)becomes the main man at LB with the other starters graduating. Biggest concerns I have for BC is their lack of receivers and weak DL. As far as Central Michigan: Most people think of this team as the team that got their asses handed to them game after game a few years ago. In fact last year they had a winning season(6-5) that could have been a lot better. Believe it or not guys, this team is a decent team that will be better this year. In fact they were on top of the MAC for the majority of the season, before losing 2 outta 3 to close out the year. They beat Toledo, Miami (OH), and MAC champs Akron. Now I am not comparing these teams to BC but those are solid programs CMU would not contend with a few years ago. What I find most compelling about this team is the fact that they were disappointed in last year (because the way they closed it out) instead of rejoicing in the school's 2nd winning season in a decade. Coach Brian Kelley said. "Last year we were still pretenders," he said, "we got there and we couldn't finish at the end." found on ESPN.com Kelley, the players, and the school have high hopes for this team this year. And they should with 7 returning starters on both sides of the ball. Sophomore sensation Ontario Sneed (over 1000 yards 4.8 per carry) is back at RB. Damien Linson leads a WR core that lost one player and is very experienced. Who is going to get them the ball though? That is the question that many people do not have an answer for. Last I heard, Brian Brunner is the favorite to take this spot. Scouting report says that this kid does not have the most talent but is a smart QB that makes the right decision. From what I have read I picture a Craig Krentzel type QB. 4 starters return on the OL, for a team that put up over 400 yards a game. On the defensive side of the ball the Chips return a lot of talent. MAC defensive player of the year Dan Bazuin returns just 13 sacks away from the conference record. Also they have strong LBs with two second team ALL MAC players. The DBs will have new players for the fact that Kelley wanted more size in the secondary. BOTTOM LINE: I think this line is big because of the perception of Central Michigan. This is a game that should have this home team/fans fired up. The Chips really think they can win this game. One of the hardest things to beat in college football is confidence IMO. Also, BCs second game is a big conference game against Clemson. College kids tend to look over teams they "are supposed to crush" to focus on the big game. I think CMU is ready for the spotlight and can compete in this game. This game has the feel of BC vs Ball State a couple of years ago when Ball State almost pulled the upset off to start the season...
Utah State + 13 versus Wyoming. - OK here is a little info about both teams first: Wyoming has 12 returning starts ( 6 on both side of the ball). This team had a bowl win in 2004 and started off last year with a 4-1 record. From what I remember and have read, they started having many TOs. They lost their last 6 games of the year. I think they had 7 or 8 turnovers in one of those games! Defensively they are switching to a new defense (3-4). They made the switch because they feel they recruit quality LBs. They do expect many growing pains in this switch. They have no experience at QB but 1 and 2 both had huge high school careers. There are problems within the RBs. Not sure if they have settled it but i know the freshman that set some school records was pissed about not being named the number 1 back in the Spring. Instead he was slated as a "co starter". They have one returning receiver but no major yards coming back. They have a highly touted freshmen in Derrick Levy that they will probably throw into the tank. Their OL is strong and should help this inexperienced offense. Defensively they are strong at DL and with the LB core. Secondary is hit up by Derrick Martin(late rd. pick by BAL i think) going pro instead of playing his senior year. They also have one of the top return men in the MW coming back. Utah State was 3-8 last year. They return 14 starters (8 on offense 6 on defense). Their coach came in last year and did what a high school coach would do. He dumped the seniors and started all of the freshman. Utah State returns 6 defenders from a team that finished 4th in the WAC in defense. They have 3 LBs returning along with both DT and one man in the secondary. FS Terrence Washington appears to be the best player on this defense. He is an NFL talent if he remains healthy. Surrounding him will be a youth movement like last year. Offensively Leon Jackson will return as the starter. Throughout the season I would watch this guy to make sure he is healthy....he is not that durable because of his runners mentality. His athletic ability should cause problems for Wyoming. Last year this teams back combined for less than 600 yards. Newcomer JUCO) who rushed for over 1100 yards and 14 TDs last year, will help this team. The WR core is deadly and will compete as one of the top groups in the WAC. BOTTOM LINE: I think 13 is way too many points in this game. Both teams have many questions and are not that good. Honestly, right now I think Utah State is the better team and think they could win this game SU.....
Ohio St/North Illinois OVER 50 - NIU returns 7 starters from a team that ranked 2nd in scoring defense last year. With that being said, they have lost their two best players. One anchored the line and the other held the secondary together. With no true star or proven "leader" on this defense, I look for Ohio State to have a field day. Even last year with a better defense, this team surrendered many points to the high-profile offenses (Michigan 33 pts., NW 38, Akron 48, Miami OH 27, Akron 31). Their stats came from the likes of WMU (7 pts), Kent State (3 pts), Eastern Michigan (8 pts), and Tennessee Tech (3pts). Ohio State on the defensive side of the ball is untested. After 4 players on the defensive side of the ball decided to leave school early, OSU only returns 2 starters. Both of these guys are monsters, but both are on the DL. Ohio State has tons of track stars and 5 star prospects that they will be throwing into the mix so I would not worry about this defense too much. At the same time, this defense has the makings of a big play defense. They will give up yards and points but will have sacks and INTs throughout the year IMO. NIU returns the nations leading running back in Garrett Wolfe (1580 yards 16 TDs). Also they have a good QB in Phil Horvath. This team led the MAC in offense last year, and has many weapons returning. Everyone knows about OSUs offense so I will not go into much detail about that. One thing that worries me in this game is if OSU gets a big lead early- they might completely close down the playbook so they do not show Texas anything. BOTTOM LINE: This game has all the makings of a track meet. 2 powerful offenses vs. 2 inexperienced defenses. I can see Ohio State covering this mark by themselves.
Tennessee/ Cal UNDER 43.5 - Cal had the best scoring defense in the Pac 10 last year. They return 8 starters from that team. Tennessee returns one of the better defenses in the nation from a year ago. CAL has an unproven line and a QB that not much is known about. Couple these, with some other reasons already stated in this thread and I look for a 21-17 OR 17-14 type game.
Utah ML (+155) versus UCLA - I will be traveling to this game. Utah is 5-0 versus PAC10 teams in their last 5. UCLA starts a QB that hasnt thrown a ball in a game since 2002. That has to be making Utah's top rated secondary lick their chops. As is always the case, UCLA is talking about how much faster and more athletic they are just because they play in the PAC10 and Utah is from a smaller conference. That attitude has come back to bite alot of bigger schools. Utah wins this game as a live dog. Section 20 row 32
Northwestern -3 versus Miami (oh) ...This game is a game of questions. Miami has many questions to fill regarding every aspect of their team. They do have a lot of talent that should help this team have a successful season. With that being said, I do not think they will become a good team until Mid-September/October. I think this will become a game where Miami fans will look back on as "Man we could/ should have won that game". NW is by no means that much further than Miami. CJ Bacher will likely be the starting QB for this team. He had a great spring game throwing for 2 TDs (8-11 121 yards). Though they have been hit hard at WR by graduation, Shaun Herbert will be back. I believe he was honorable mention all Big 10 last year (think of all the great WRs this conference has). Sophomore to be Tyrell Sutton is a top 10 back in the nation INO. This kid went to school in Akron (where I am from) and about shattered every high school record that this state has. He is unbelievable and had a great freshman season. I really expect him to be the difference in this game. On the line NW loses all American Zach Strief but returns the other monsters and should be fine. The bottom line in this game is Tyrell Sutton! I expect him to get upwards around 200 yards. I also will look at the over in this game because I expect a lack of defense both ways.
Kent State + 17 versus Minnesota - I like Kent in this spot. This is one of the biggest home games in KSU history. They have been advertising for this game all summer. Now to the teams: Michael Machen is Kent's starting QB. He returns after an up and down year. He has talent (was at Alabama for a year before he decided to play minor league baseball) and can be a viable QB. He is athletic and has size (6'6" 235). The Golden Flashes have two sub 4.4 backs (Sophomore Tony Howard and Freshman Eugene Jarvis). These speedy backs, along with 4 returning WRs should cause all types of problems for this Minnesota defense. Minnesota has a bad d-line that does not get any pressure on QBs (15 sacks in 12 games last year). With time, Machen could and will rip apart these Gopher DBs. And I already know people will be saying, "Well KSUs OL is terrible...." Yes they were not that good last year but word around here is that this will be one of their strengths this year. Augustus Parrish is a legitimate NFL prospect (Sophomore) that will anchor this line. Minny's OL is beaten up and bad and they still do not have a legitimate replacement for Gary Russel. BOTTOM LINE: These teams are heading in different directions. KSU can only go one way after a 1-10 season last year. Minnesota will suffer because of the loss of Russel and the loss of many of their key defensive players IMO. Kent has potential to have a good offense. I expect Kent to keep this close and have a chance to win it at the end.
Tennessee - 2 over Cal- I will start with Cal... They have the potential to be one of the top teams in the country this year and have a good chance to win the Pac 10. Since his take over 5 years ago, Jeff Tedford has completely turned to Cal program around. With this being the first year where only his players are here, Cal backers expect big things. The top scoring defense in the Pac 10 from a year ago returns 8 starters and looks to have another good year. Offensively they lost 3 lineman to the draft. A Duke transfer, Tyler Krieg should help solidify this line. Andrew Cameron, if he can stay healthy, will also help this OL. Cal is loaded in the skilled positions (WR, TE, and RB). At QB it looks more and more like Nate Longshore will be the man. He originally was the starter last year before breaking his ankle. He put up decent stats in one game BUT it was against Sacramento State! This passing attack finished last in the Pac 10 a year ago. Tennessee is coming off one of their worse years in the modern era. This usually great football power, went from pre-season Top 5 to losing to Vanderbilt and not making a bowl. 3 of their 6 losses could be pointed to the fact of missed opportunities. They needed 1 first down against Vanderbilt to seal the game and could not. Against Bama they fumbled a sure TD run and against SC missed opps gave them a 1 pt. loss I believe. Defensively this team is absolutely stacked. The DL lost players from a year ago but have tons of talent to step in. Jason Herril is a big kid that will anchor this DL. Scouting reports say that he had a great spring and is ready to produce this Fall. Along with this Volunteer LB crew the secondary has a lot of talent. Offensively, this team has many questions. The RB slot is not one of them. THey have a 3 headed monster if you will; with Arian Foster(100+ yards in all 5 starts a year ago), Montario Hardesty (originally ahead of Foster but blew out his knee), and LaMarcus Coker ( a third back that underwent off-season surgery). At WR there are many upper-class-man fighting for the jobs. My favorite out of these is junior Cutcliffe ( he coached here before going to Miss for awhile; correct me if I am wrong). The coaches are pleased with his progression. BOTTOM LINE: Cal is a good team that ultimately will be ranked higher than Tennessee IMO. I do not think Cal is ready to win a game of this magnitude this early in the season. They are traveling 2500 miles to play before one of the toughest crowds in the nation. With an unproven OL and a question at QB I expect CAL to struggle. Couple these things with the talent on the defensive side of the ball for Tenn. and I expect a low scoring victory for Tenn.
Central Michigan + 14 vs. BC - First I want to let you all know that I think Central Michigan will have a great year. Lets first look at BC though: The Eagles return this year with about half their starters from a year before (return 6 on both sides). Matt Ryan(undefeated as a starter 5-0) is back and ready to roll at QB for the Eagles. Though he is yet to be tested for a full season, where teams have time and tape to prepare with. Ryan's passing game could take a major hit due to the fact that both starting receivers and the number 1 TE graduated. BC is once again strong in the secondary with 3 returners. Also they have the 1-2 punch at RB that amassed over 1500 yards last season. BC has a big O-line that will help keep rushers off Ryan. Graduation and the NFL will put a big dent in the BCs DL. They will look to the HUGE B.J. Raji to anchor this line. Brian Toal (played some FB last year I believe?)becomes the main man at LB with the other starters graduating. Biggest concerns I have for BC is their lack of receivers and weak DL. As far as Central Michigan: Most people think of this team as the team that got their asses handed to them game after game a few years ago. In fact last year they had a winning season(6-5) that could have been a lot better. Believe it or not guys, this team is a decent team that will be better this year. In fact they were on top of the MAC for the majority of the season, before losing 2 outta 3 to close out the year. They beat Toledo, Miami (OH), and MAC champs Akron. Now I am not comparing these teams to BC but those are solid programs CMU would not contend with a few years ago. What I find most compelling about this team is the fact that they were disappointed in last year (because the way they closed it out) instead of rejoicing in the school's 2nd winning season in a decade. Coach Brian Kelley said. "Last year we were still pretenders," he said, "we got there and we couldn't finish at the end." found on ESPN.com Kelley, the players, and the school have high hopes for this team this year. And they should with 7 returning starters on both sides of the ball. Sophomore sensation Ontario Sneed (over 1000 yards 4.8 per carry) is back at RB. Damien Linson leads a WR core that lost one player and is very experienced. Who is going to get them the ball though? That is the question that many people do not have an answer for. Last I heard, Brian Brunner is the favorite to take this spot. Scouting report says that this kid does not have the most talent but is a smart QB that makes the right decision. From what I have read I picture a Craig Krentzel type QB. 4 starters return on the OL, for a team that put up over 400 yards a game. On the defensive side of the ball the Chips return a lot of talent. MAC defensive player of the year Dan Bazuin returns just 13 sacks away from the conference record. Also they have strong LBs with two second team ALL MAC players. The DBs will have new players for the fact that Kelley wanted more size in the secondary. BOTTOM LINE: I think this line is big because of the perception of Central Michigan. This is a game that should have this home team/fans fired up. The Chips really think they can win this game. One of the hardest things to beat in college football is confidence IMO. Also, BCs second game is a big conference game against Clemson. College kids tend to look over teams they "are supposed to crush" to focus on the big game. I think CMU is ready for the spotlight and can compete in this game. This game has the feel of BC vs Ball State a couple of years ago when Ball State almost pulled the upset off to start the season...
Utah State + 13 versus Wyoming. - OK here is a little info about both teams first: Wyoming has 12 returning starts ( 6 on both side of the ball). This team had a bowl win in 2004 and started off last year with a 4-1 record. From what I remember and have read, they started having many TOs. They lost their last 6 games of the year. I think they had 7 or 8 turnovers in one of those games! Defensively they are switching to a new defense (3-4). They made the switch because they feel they recruit quality LBs. They do expect many growing pains in this switch. They have no experience at QB but 1 and 2 both had huge high school careers. There are problems within the RBs. Not sure if they have settled it but i know the freshman that set some school records was pissed about not being named the number 1 back in the Spring. Instead he was slated as a "co starter". They have one returning receiver but no major yards coming back. They have a highly touted freshmen in Derrick Levy that they will probably throw into the tank. Their OL is strong and should help this inexperienced offense. Defensively they are strong at DL and with the LB core. Secondary is hit up by Derrick Martin(late rd. pick by BAL i think) going pro instead of playing his senior year. They also have one of the top return men in the MW coming back. Utah State was 3-8 last year. They return 14 starters (8 on offense 6 on defense). Their coach came in last year and did what a high school coach would do. He dumped the seniors and started all of the freshman. Utah State returns 6 defenders from a team that finished 4th in the WAC in defense. They have 3 LBs returning along with both DT and one man in the secondary. FS Terrence Washington appears to be the best player on this defense. He is an NFL talent if he remains healthy. Surrounding him will be a youth movement like last year. Offensively Leon Jackson will return as the starter. Throughout the season I would watch this guy to make sure he is healthy....he is not that durable because of his runners mentality. His athletic ability should cause problems for Wyoming. Last year this teams back combined for less than 600 yards. Newcomer JUCO) who rushed for over 1100 yards and 14 TDs last year, will help this team. The WR core is deadly and will compete as one of the top groups in the WAC. BOTTOM LINE: I think 13 is way too many points in this game. Both teams have many questions and are not that good. Honestly, right now I think Utah State is the better team and think they could win this game SU.....
Ohio St/North Illinois OVER 50 - NIU returns 7 starters from a team that ranked 2nd in scoring defense last year. With that being said, they have lost their two best players. One anchored the line and the other held the secondary together. With no true star or proven "leader" on this defense, I look for Ohio State to have a field day. Even last year with a better defense, this team surrendered many points to the high-profile offenses (Michigan 33 pts., NW 38, Akron 48, Miami OH 27, Akron 31). Their stats came from the likes of WMU (7 pts), Kent State (3 pts), Eastern Michigan (8 pts), and Tennessee Tech (3pts). Ohio State on the defensive side of the ball is untested. After 4 players on the defensive side of the ball decided to leave school early, OSU only returns 2 starters. Both of these guys are monsters, but both are on the DL. Ohio State has tons of track stars and 5 star prospects that they will be throwing into the mix so I would not worry about this defense too much. At the same time, this defense has the makings of a big play defense. They will give up yards and points but will have sacks and INTs throughout the year IMO. NIU returns the nations leading running back in Garrett Wolfe (1580 yards 16 TDs). Also they have a good QB in Phil Horvath. This team led the MAC in offense last year, and has many weapons returning. Everyone knows about OSUs offense so I will not go into much detail about that. One thing that worries me in this game is if OSU gets a big lead early- they might completely close down the playbook so they do not show Texas anything. BOTTOM LINE: This game has all the makings of a track meet. 2 powerful offenses vs. 2 inexperienced defenses. I can see Ohio State covering this mark by themselves.
Tennessee/ Cal UNDER 43.5 - Cal had the best scoring defense in the Pac 10 last year. They return 8 starters from that team. Tennessee returns one of the better defenses in the nation from a year ago. CAL has an unproven line and a QB that not much is known about. Couple these, with some other reasons already stated in this thread and I look for a 21-17 OR 17-14 type game.
Utah ML (+155) versus UCLA - I will be traveling to this game. Utah is 5-0 versus PAC10 teams in their last 5. UCLA starts a QB that hasnt thrown a ball in a game since 2002. That has to be making Utah's top rated secondary lick their chops. As is always the case, UCLA is talking about how much faster and more athletic they are just because they play in the PAC10 and Utah is from a smaller conference. That attitude has come back to bite alot of bigger schools. Utah wins this game as a live dog. Section 20 row 32