College Football: Week 1

Week 1 of the college football season is here and I couldn't be more excited, especially after last year. The revolving door of teams at #1. Upsets like Appalachian State over Michigan, Stanford over USC and Pitt over WVU. The start of Lou's pep talks on ESPN. The list goes on and on. And for an Ohio State fan in Georgia Bulldog country, this season could really be special. Both teams are stacked and national title contenders. I've already started thinking about the possibility of the two in Miami. But whoa whoa whoa. Let's get through Week 1 first.

The way I will do things every week is pretty simple. I will pick winners of the best 15 games. No matter what, I will pick the Thursday night game so I will always have a good or bad start to the Saturday matchups. I will also always pick the Ohio State, Ohio, Georgia and South Carolina games, even if they are not part of the best 15 games because I follow all due to loyalty or work. If they are a part of the best 15 games, there will be a number next to the game. I will predict a score for those teams but no other. I also will always have an upset special. Since I am a Michigan Hater, it will be called the "APPY", short for Appalachian State.

So now that I've explained it all, here are the Week 1 picks.

GAME OF THE WEEK
1. Illinois vs. Missouri (in St. Louis) - This game is huge for Missouri. They could easily run the table up to the Big 12 championship but it all starts with an Illinois team that has the Juice (Williams) and upset on their mind. They're a pretty good team too. A neutral site adds to the allure of this game too. Call me crazy but I'm taking ILLINOIS to win in a close one.

REST OF THE TOP 15
2. Clemson vs. Alabama (in Atlanta) - QB Cullen Harper's first big game of the year. Also, the first game of the year. The season does ride on his right arm, no pressure, but Bama just simply isn't talented enough to beat Clemson. Gimme CLEMSON by a couple scores

3. USC @ Virginia - I love seeing teams like USC play games like this. An opponent that has talent and will provide a challenge but in no way is a huge threat. Gives an opportunity to really see how your team will perform in bigger games, such as the Ohio State game. Will also be the first look to see if QB Mark Sanchez is truly healthy. USC wins handily if he is.

4. Appalachian State @ LSU - Could it happen again? Well, never say never. It would be kind of cool to see App. St. do it again, and to a Michigan man like Les Miles. But alas, what they did last year means LSU will be ready unlike Michigan was. I'll take LSU but root for App. St. the entire game.

5. Michigan State @ California - I am a big believer in MSU this season. I just think they could make some unexpected noise. But if they roll over in this game to Cal, I may renig on my belief fairly quick. No DeSean Jackson for Cal anymore and well, there's just not much more to say about them this season. I'm picking MSU to win.

6. Fresno State @ Rutgers (9/1) - Some people believe Fresno St. could be a BCS buster this season. If so, they've got to go perfect. Welp, gotta beat Rutgers then and that won't be easy. Greg Schiano might not have the players of those 2005 and 2006 glory days but his cupboard isn't bare. He'll have the Scarlet Knights ready to take on Pat Hill's fiesty Bulldogs. But I don't think it will be enough. Gimme Fresno State in a mini-upset.

7. East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (in Charlotte) - I like ECU a lot. Watched them a couple times last season and they are a fundamentally sound team. VT is no slouch either but Beamer has his work cut out for him this season. It's a young team that isn't full of the talent that he's used to. But he's a good coach and knows how to get his team ready for a big game. And while many are looking at this as an upset, I'm not. VT wins by 10 or more.

8. UCLA @ Tennessee (9/1) - I gotta commend Rick Neuheisel for the confidence he has in his team. Going as far as putting out a newspaper ad proclaiming there is more than one good football team in Los Angeles. Won't matter in this game though. They are young. Volunteers are returning 8 starters on offense. TENNESSEE wins and UCLA begins what may be a long first season for the new head man.

9. Hawaii @ Florida - How much fun would game have been last year? Colt Brennan vs. Tim Tebow, head-to-head. Oh well. We saw what Hawaii did against UGA in the Sugar Bowl...lay an egg. Now Brennan is gone. Head coach June Jones is gone. So is any hope of them upsetting the Gators. FLORIDA wins by a ton.

10. Kentucky @ Louisville (8/31) - There are a lot of jokes I could put for this battle of the two biggest schools in the great state of Kentucky. But I won't. I'll just pick LOUISVILLE and move on.

11. Bowling Green vs. Pittsburgh - This should be a good game. Not gonna get a lot of publicity but you have one of the best MAC teams taking on a Big East trying to prove itself as a contender this year. I also look at this game as an audition for BG to get into a conference like the Big East or Big Ten. With only 8 teams in the Big East and 11 in the Big Ten, both could use another member while the MAC has 13 and could/should definitely lose one. That's an argument for another dya though. PITT wins.

12. Syracuse @ Northwestern - I know, this game will be terrible. But I had to put it in there because it's a battle of two schools I almost went to. Syracuse and Northwestern were in my top 3 with OU but both were too costly while OU came with not only no cost, but with a signing bonus. So in the matchup of schools I chided, I'm taking stuck-up NORTHWESTERN over snowy Syracuse.

13. Utah @ Michigan - No doubt. Lloyd Carr retired at the right time. He knew what he had coming back and he knew how much coaching he had left in him. well, it wasn't enough to try and salvage a winning season out of this Wolverine squad. As much as I think Rich rodriguez is a great choice for Michigan, he is up against the wall this season. He doesn't have the personnel for his system and even with the previous system under Carr, he doesn't have the talent. Henne, Hart and Long all gone. Meanwhile, Utah is an up and coming team that is expected to challenge mediocre BCS-conference teams like Michigan. That's why I'm taking UTAH with my APPY pick of the week.

PICKS FOR TEAMS I LOVE (OR HAVE TO ACT LIKE I LOVE)
14. NC State vs. South Carolina (THURS) - I've been doing a lot of reading and watching of the Gamecocks and I am impressed with what they bring back this year. Remember, this is a team that ran out of the gate at 6-1 before stumbling to 6-6 to end the year. The talent is there. The coaching is there. It could all hinge on the offense though and QB Tommy Beecher. All reports from Columbia say he has been less than stellar in practice and that does not bode well for the Gamecocks. Regardless, NC State is going to struggle this year and SOUTH CAROLINA shouldn't have a problem tomorrow night. 31-14 Gamecocks.

15. Georgia Southern @ Georgia - When I went to UGA media day, the question that was asked to every player was how the team was preparing for Georgia Southern. That's because UGA knows that Georgia Southern could pull an APPY. They wanna win their in-state "rival" bad and will stop at nothing to do it. Plus, UGA may be looking ahead, though I wouldn't dare if I were them. GEORGIA will win and it won't be close. But I know if it is, UGA is probably going down. 48-14 UGA

Youngstown State @ Ohio State - There's no need to talk long lengths about this game. I just hope no one gets injured and Terrelle Pryor shows all OSU fans and America that he was worth all that hype. OHIO STATE wins by a ton and gets ready for their huge matchup against the Bobcats. 41-14 Buckeyes

Ohio @ Wyoming - The Bobcats lost to them last year for no reason. That alone should be enough motivation to go to Laramie and kick some Cowboy butt. I'm taking OHIO and hoping I don't regret that choice. 24-17 Bobcats


There you have it. My picks for Week 1 of the season. BRING IT ON! Oh yeah, and comments are welcome. Just click comments below and tell me whatcha think.