You can smell stuff on the grill a few days out, baseball pennant races are heating up, kids are back in school...and oh, speaking of school...
College Football is here. I think I speak for every person who cares about the sport and reads this blog when we say, Thank the Good Lord.
Granted, the slate of games over the next night or two isn't that appealing, but honestly, are we going to complain? Really? When we haven't had meaningful football in about seven months?
That said, the networks are calling it the best slate of games on an opening weekend maybe ever. I can't say I disagree. For those who have been living under a rock, the weekend is LOADED and will play a significant impact on the College Football Playoff scene.
Just from Saturday to Monday, you have: Oklahoma at Houston, top 15 matchup (and UH's biggest football game maybe ever, right here in my current hometown). LSU/Wisconsin. Texas A&M/UCLA. Georgia/North Carolina. USC/Alabama. Clemson/Auburn. Notre Dame/Texas Sunday. And FSU/Ole Miss on Monday.
That doesn't even include Stanford on Friday night, who opens their season at home against Bill Snyder and Kansas State.
I could come out here and give you my conference title predictions and everything else, but I won't. Instead, I think I'll focus my attention on this weekend. That's going to be tough enough, I think.
Even though tonight's just an appetizer, I think I'll start with some of tonight's games. South Carolina at Vanderbilt is the big matchup on the ESPN networks tonight, and what strikes me is that it's going to be so weird for those who watch this game to not see Spurrier on the sidelines. He'd become a fixture at South Carolina...now the hotheaded Will Muschamp is in charge.
I think they got a taste of it last year but it's really going to hit home for South Carolina tonight: They are going to miss Spurrier more than even they realize. I pick Vandy to win tonight at home...which isn't a surprise...certainly the money is with them tonight as they've gone from a 3.5 to a 5.5 point favorite.
Couple of Nebraska's Big 10 mates start action tonight...Minnesota and Indiana. Both are big favorites...one at home and one on the road. Nebraska plays both this year so it will be interesting to see how both these teams play.
Tennessee also takes the field for the first time tonight as a three touchdown favorite. Is this the season the Vols FINALLY live up to the hype? That's all we ever hear from them is this is the year they are finally going to have that breakout year. Certainly the money is going slightly towards Tennessee tonight...they started as a 20 point favorite and now it's up to 21.
Friday's got a few decent matchups...Colorado State and Colorado (how in the world is Colorado a 9 point favorite there), Kansas State and Stanford (I think we all agree Stanford will win but I'll be interested to see how they play because Snyder teams always play tough), and Toledo and Arkansas State.
And then comes Saturday through Monday. Everyone is in action but these are the big matchups and my take:
Oklahoma vs Houston (at NRG Stadium): Without question the biggest football game UH has played in many a decade. After ending the season with just one loss in 2015 and defeating Florida State in a New Year's Six game, the Cougars now take aim at Oklahoma with any chances of competing for a national title on the line. Meanwhile, Oklahoma starts the season ranked No. 3...but remember, the last time OU started a season ranked really high, they lost five games.
My take is that UH's chances rest on their quarterback Greg Ward. He is a dual threat run-pass option, similar to Deshaun Watson at Clemson who nearly captured the title a year ago. If UH is to have any shot at the upset, Ward is the key. I also think that the no respect card is something UH coach Herman can play...it seems that not many think that highly of UH's chances. The line started at 10 and has gone up to 12 points with OU being the favorite.
I pick Oklahoma for the win, but I think they will have to work really hard to leave with a win. Houston will most definitely keep it within 12.
UCLA at Texas A&M: This is the 2:30 game Central on CBS at Kyle Field, with A&M a slight favorite likely due to the home field advantage. UCLA does have the edge quarterback wise when you look at who the two starting quarterbacks are. Josh Rosen is a true sophomore who likely will be a very high NFL draft pick in a couple years while Texas A&M has Trevor Knight, who transferred from Oklahoma after he lost his quarterback job to Baker Mayfield.
A big subplot in this game is that new A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone spent several years on Jim Mora Jr.'s coaching staff at UCLA and I'm sure that's part of why Vegas thinks A&M has the edge, but I'll give you another reason why A&M's going to win Saturday: The heat and humidity. It's going to be 90 degrees outside and humid. Let's see if the California boys like the Texas heat and humidity.
LSU vs Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, 2:30 p.m. ABC: Lambeau Field is the site for College GameDay this coming Saturday and this showdown, as it should be. Two very good teams playing in a historic venue.
That said, Leonard Fournette's ankle seems to be OK (there were concerns about his ankle during LSU camp), and if it is, I don't see LSU being stopped. I see them winning by somewhere around the spread line, which is 10.5. Wisconsin sometimes overachieves in these games, but LSU is a near consensus top 10 team in pretty much every poll there is and a few magazines have both them and Alabama as playoff teams. What is key is they get their top contenders for the West, both Alabama and Ole Miss, coming to Baton Rouge this year.
I also think a big factor is that Dave Aranda, the new LSU defensive coordinator, knows everything Wisconsin does. They will be ready to play.
Georgia vs North Carolina in Atlanta, 4:30 p.m.: Another good matchup this one of top 20 teams (in various polls). This should be a barnburner mainly because both teams are healthy coming into the season and Nick Chubb appears to be ready to go for Georgia after a brutal knee injury at Tennessee ended his season last year.
Georgia is favored by 2.5 mainly because of the Atlanta factor I'm sure and that there will be a lot of Dawg fans in the building. I pick Georgia, but I feel the game could go either way.
USC vs Alabama in Dallas, 7 p.m. ABC: Of all the top tier matchups this one might have the most tradition involved. USC and Alabama, two of (in my view) the top five programs of all time in college football (the others being Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame).
This one's also been the battle of t-shirts. USC's student bookstore started the whole thing when they poked fun at Alabama with the ever witty, clever, "Roll Tears Roll" shirt.
And in response, Alabama eviscerated them with this shirt:
That's pretty similar to what will happen on the field Saturday. USC may be back at that level some day, but Saturday Alabama will roll as they usually do first game of a new season. I think Alabama is favored by 11.5 and I don't think that's going to be enough. They will win by three touchdowns.
Clemson at Auburn 8 p.m. ESPN: An interesting test for the runners up from last year, going to Auburn to open their season. Meanwhile, Auburn two years after coming within a whisker of a national championship is trying to reclaim that magic.
That said, Clemson is going to win this game and I think may win the game convincingly. I thought it might be a tougher game for Clemson until I saw who is out of this game for Auburn.
This is a bad time for Auburn to be playing Clemson considering the deep threats Clemson has and the bodies Auburn is missing in the secondary. Jamel Dean, out with a knee injury. Stephen Roberts, out due to suspension. Marshall Taylor, undisclosed injury. Jeremiah Dinson, still recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last year against A&M.
BYU vs Arizona at Glendale, 9:30 p.m. Fox Sports 1: Amidst all the matchups I touched on above, this one's an underrated matchup that won't be noticed by those of us not on the West Coast. BYU tends to be pretty tough early on in the season: they clobbered Texas two straight years and beat NU last year in Lincoln on the Memorial Miracle, as it's been dubbed by BYU fans.
Arizona started as a slight favorite but thanks to the people and their money the Cougars are now the favorite. The only thing I'm going to predict about this game is that with all the offensive firepower these teams have this game may not get over before 1:30 a.m. Central time.
Notre Dame at Texas, 6:30 p.m. Sunday ABC: A very important early season game for both teams. Notre Dame not long ago had six players arrested on two different arrests. One of those players, Max Redfield was dismissed from the program and another, Devin Butler, was suspended. I am not sure of the status for the other four players.
Meanwhile, Texas has had a relatively quiet offseason and is quietly healthy coming in. This is without question a make or break year for Strong. He's been under .500 his first two years and that team MUST be improved or he will be gone. He doesn't have to win the Big 12 this year but that team must compete. I think it is for that reason, and because it's a revenge game after Texas got blasted a year ago up in South Bend, why Texas will win this game at home. Notre Dame is a slight favorite but I'm taking the Horns.
Ole Miss vs Florida State in Orlando, 7 p.m. Monday ESPN: Florida State is expected to be a national title contender this season; they open as a near consensus top 10 team and a litany of polls have them as a top 5 team. They also open the season in Orlando where they generally have success; over the last 60 some-odd years, FSU has played in Orlando 10 times and has not lost. That, along with Ole Miss being a green team, means they're good for this game right?
Not so fast.
Florida State's injury list reads like one of those long receipts you get when you go to the grocery store and you have to get a ton of things. They have major injury issues at offensive line, wide receiver, quarterback, secondary. Sean Maguire was going to be their starting QB but he's not going to play in this game and Ole Miss has a guy named Chad Kelly who can sling the football around.
Ole Miss has some question marks themselves; it's a very young team and they have a few key injuries namely at left tackle and safety. That said, even though FSU is the favorite, I feel this game is very winnable for the Rebels if they play a good game. I am taking them for the outright upset in fact. If that happens, then if Florida State beats Clemson in late October, the ACC will likely be out of the playoff picture.
A few final notes to touch on:
First of all, Colin Kaepernick situation. It's all over the news, and not just sports news. The only thing I'm going to say about this is, I don't necessarily disagree with his views but that is not a platform he should be using to espouse his views, in my opinion. It's the very same reason I got sick of Bob Costas years ago.
In another college football note, Penn State is to honor the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno's first football game on Saturday. My question is, why?
Astros have pushed Dallas Keuchel's scheduled start at Arlington (key little baseball series this weekend, by the way) because of fatigue. Man, what a difference a year makes. A year ago, they wouldn't have pushed one of his starts back for any reason at all. He started the AL Wild Card game last year on three days' rest in New York.
It begins a grueling 13 game stretch for the local nine: six games against the Rangers, four at Cleveland and three at home against the Cubs.
Meanwhile, memo to the National League: Things in orange and blue are much more dangerous than they appear. The New York Mets, despite toiling in mediocrity for much of this season, are now starting to heat up and I can assure you they are the last team that anyone in the NL wants to see in the playoffs.
Whew, what a blog!
Until next time....
