College Football: Week 2

I think it is fair to say Week 1 of the college football season was a great start. A few matchups between ranked teams exposed work to be done for some. Meanwhile, a few upsets showed just how daring it can be to open up with a strong opponent. Teams like UCLA and BG have put others on notice that they are no pushovers while teams like Virginia Tech and Clemson found out they have a lot of work to do to win the conference. Rich Rodriguez (MICH) and June Jones (SMU) had less than stellar debuts while JoePa showed all that this team may be a great one to finish his career with.

But for as good as Week 1 was, Week 2 is that bad. There are zero games with two ranked teams playing each other, meaning there will plenty of blowouts and maybe an upset somewhere. This weekend could be worse if not for two things. 1) The NFL season kicks off Sunday and that gives people something to look forward to and 2) My alma mater plays my hometown team.

Wasn't a good starting week for me with the predictions. Of the top 15 games, I went 8-7. That's pathetic. but teams like UCLA, BG and Bama really threw me for a loop while teams like Utah and Fresno State helped me stay above .500. I also got OSU right but as I kinda expected, picked the OU game wrong. Got a feeling I'll get it right this week. TO THE PICKS WE GO...

BEST 15 GAMES (season 8-7)

GAME OF THE WEEK:
1. #8 West Virginia @ East Carolina - It really wasn't a huge surprise that ECU beat VT, especially when the world found out Sean Glennon would start. But now, ECU is definitely not a secret and WVU better be ready. Pat White and the Mountaineers looked really good last week while ECU looked good at times and VT made them look good at times. The fact that this game is in Greenville, NC makes me this an even tougher pick too. As much as I know ECU is a good team, I just WVU is a bit too much for them to handle this early in the season. I'm taking West Virginia and hoping ECU doesn't burn me again

REST OF THE BEST
2. Oregon State vs. #19 Penn State - JoePa has a talented squad, hands down. I know they were playing Coastal Carolina but watching Derrick Williams light up the cbssports.com college football scoreboard was just scary. Oregon State meanwhile is coming off a disappointing loss to Stanford, a game they should have won. There will be a lot of anger in those Beavers so I wouldn't be surprised if they keep it close. Penn State will run away in the 2nd half and keep JoePa at the top of the wins list

3. Miami (FL) vs. #5 Florida - First of all, you know it's a bad college football week when ESPN is doing Gameday from this game. It won't be close at all. The U is rebuilding, and under the right guy in Randy Shannon, and have no shot taking down Tebow. I think the excitement in this game for me is how many Florida guys flirt with Erin Andrews on the sidelines. It's games like these where we need an EA cam. She's a UF grad, obviously good-looking and wears clothes that would entice any drunk college student in Gainesville and beyond. Oh, FLORIDA will win.

4. Miami (OH) vs. Michigan - It's ironic. The same week my alma mater and favorite/hometown team play each other, their respective rivals play each other too. I don't know much about the Redhawks except the fact that OU beat them last year to ruin their bowl chances. As for Michigan, well, that's been well-chronicled. As bad as I think they are, they can't lose to this team. Miami QB Daniel Radabaugh threw 4 INT last week and that sounds a recipe for success for the Wolverines. I'll go with MICHIGAN, though in a perfect world, both these teams lose.

5. Georgia Tech @ Boston College - Again, the games aren't that great this week. But this one intrigues me. GT pounded their first opponent while BC kind of just waddled by Kent State. GT is sporting a new coach and offense, one that BC is not used to seeing. So this could be interesting. Both teams aren't going to do much this year but again, could be a good game. I'll take BC.

6. Stanford @ #15 Arizona State - Gotta give props to Jim Harbaugh for somehow getting that Stanford team to win even when they shouldn't be. This game has to be on people's radar just for the fact that the Cardinal are starting to be known as a gritty team that will fight no matter what. Arizona State is definitely more talented and is playing at home but just liek the USC game last year, something tells me this one should be fun. I'm going with ARIZONA STATE but being wrong on this one wouldn't make me mad at all.

7. San Diego State @ Notre Dame - The last week alone, I've heard from two Notre Dame fans/experts. One was Lou Holtz who said ND would win 11 games. The other was Regis Philbin, who predicted an 8-4 season. I think both are being optimistic (especially Lou) but both should be happy on Saturday. NOTRE DAME wins handily en route to the 6 wins I think they'll get.

8. #10 Texas @ UTEP - Another game that is kind of here by default. Just not a lot of good ones. If you're looking for a potential upset that would make people say "WHAT?", this could be one. Mike Price has done a great job at UTEP, including a bowl game. Don't get me wrong. I think TEXAS will roll but I want credit if they struggle against the Miners

9. #17 South Florida vs. Central Florida - USF is a fun team to watch and after last year's run, know what to expect in tough games. Now with all that said, this is not a tough game. This is not the same UCF team that had 10 wins and the nation's leading rusher in Kevin Smith. SOUTH FLORIDA should have no problem on the road.

10. Ole Miss @ #20 Wake Forest - Again, just throwing games out there that could be upsets. Houston Nutt is a great coach. He was at Arkansas and will probably turn around Ole Miss too. Not sure if in his second game he will be able to pull off this upset but I give him a chance. WAKE FOREST is my pick though.

11. Navy @ Ball State (FRI)- I think Ball State is a darkhorse this year in the MAC. Their QB Nate Davis is a star in the conference. My high school friends will remember him as the Bellaire QB who beat our beloved Hawks 37-14 in the 2005 playoffs (since we never made them in our 4 years - sorry, had to guys). The guy's got game and may even make the league. So with that in mind, BALL STATE beats Navy easily.

12. Cincinnati @ #4 Oklahoma - I was holding this pick for awhile and that's because I feel deeply about it. Brian Kelly is a bright coaching mind. He led Central Michigan to a MAC championship in his time. He is trying to do the same at UC in the Big East. I think next year may be the year. But as for this year, I am not sold at all on Oklahoma and I think this is the type of game they will overlook. Playing a team like Chattanooga did them no good either. I have two former classmates playing for UC, including De'angelo Smith, who I am hoping gets a pick or two from Sam Bradford. With all that in mind, call me crazy but in my APPY, I'm picking CINCINNATI in a huge early upset.

13. #24 South Carolina @ Vanderbilt (THU) - Well, last week was just dreadful for the Gamecocks. They won 34-0 but trust me, there was little celebration from the SC players, coaches and fans. They saw just how bad their team looked on offense and knew how bad NC State was. Now, the team is on the road and playing a better offense and defense. But if there is hope, it's that last week's starter Tommy Beecher is on the bench (injured) and Chris Smelley is starting. He should be a breath of fresh air and guide the offense to a victory over a dangerous Vandy team. SOUTH CAROLINA 27-17

14. Central Michigan @ #2 Georgia - Been a lot of talk down here about how Goergia fell to #2. I for one think it's no big deal and understandable. The Bulldogs played a non D-1 FCS team while USC played an ACC school, albeit, a terrible one. But this week is a good opportunity for the Bulldogs to leapfrog the idle Trojans. In just another sign of how stacked UGA's schedule is, they play Central Mich., which may be the best team in the MAC. dan LeFevour is the real deal at QB. He's a dual threat and knows how to make plays. And while I still have full faith in the Georgia D, their last 2 quarters against Georgia Southern was enough to have fans worried. CMU is gonna bring a challenge for sure and could even win this game. UGA takes on South Carolina next week in a big rivalry game in these parts called the "Border Bash", so it could be a trap game too. I don't wanna see UGA lose this game but I think a real challenge will do them some good before they head to South Carolina and Arizona State. GEORGIA 35-24

15. Ohio vs. #3 Ohio State - What can be said? I wish I could be there, wearing my OU alumni shirt but cheering for both teams. Hoping for a close game but ultimately wanting the Buckeyes to win. Let's be serious. OU wins...it does nothing for us but boost pride. OU loses...it's expected. OSU wins...it's expected. OSU loses...they lose not only a game, but any chance at the national title, even with a win over USC. I love both these teams and know OSU will crush my Bobcats. Theo Scott is a good QB but the guy hasn't faced a defense like this. And our D hasn't faced an offense as dynamic as this. The crowd will be a bit larger too. I will say this about the game though. I hope OU's band shows the OSU faithful why we brag about our band so much. And I hope OU fans show OSU fans that our O-H-I-O cheer is better too. I'm just glad this game will be on TV here in Augusta. OHIO STATE 41-14.

Alright folks, that's it for the picks. Again, live thread on Saturday during the OU/OSU game so feel free to watch the game with your computer in front and contribute with ongoing comments. Or just text me and I'll put those up. Trust me, I will be texting and IM-ing all game.