Rumple Foreskin
The AH Patriarch
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2002
- Posts
- 11,109
This coming weekend will mark the kick-off to the 2008 college football season. Since the alternate sports choices are NFL exhibition games, baseball and the political conventions, I'm listing some of the more intriguing games that will be on the tube in the Texas area. All listings are subject to my screwing-up.
THURSDAY
Baylor vs Wake Forest (Battlin' Baptists go head-to-head) 7:00 pm FSN
FRIDAY
Rice vs SMU (first game for new SMU h/c June Jones) 7:00 pm ESPN
SATURDAY
LSU vs Appalachian St. (last year's I-A champs and I-AA champs meet in BR) 4:00 pm ESPN
La Tech vs Miss St. (first visit by an SEC team to bucolic Ruston) 5:45 pm ESPN2
Alabama vs Clemson (both nationally ranked) 7:00 pm ABC
Missoure vs Illinois (both nationally ranked) 7:30 pm ESPN
SUNDAY
Kentucky vs Louisville (in-state bragging rights and some sort of trophy) 2:30 pm ESPN
MONDAY
Tenn vs UCLA (the Vols need this one, big time) 7:00 pm ESPN
There are some interesting games that probably won't make it to the tube including Jacksonville St vs Georgia Tech. I'm betting the Yellow Jackets offered I-AA J-St. $200,000 to bus over to Atlanta and play the role of sacrificial lamb BEFORE Ryan Perrilloux (last year's SEC championship game MVP) was kicked off the LSU team and transfered to Jacksonville. Odds are the Jackets will still win, but it could be a very interesting game now, especially if GT turns over the ball a few times while trying to run its new triple-option offense.
Another game worth checking out is Utah vs Michigan. Last year Michigan lost its season operner to I-AA Appalachian St. at Ann Arbor. This year they open, at home again, this time against a Utah club that went 9-4 last year, has 9 starters back on offense and should challenge BYU for the Mt. West title. Wonder what the mood in Ann Arbor would be like if the Wolverines lost two straight home openers?
Memphis vs Mississippi: In theory, the Tigers, who finished strong last season and went to a bowl, should have little trouble with the Rebs, who didn't. But it'll be Houston Nutt's first game as h/c in Oxford so it'll be interesting to see how the team responds to him.
THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL CHAMPION WILL BE:
The nice thing about pre-season picks is no one remembers them when the season ends. Unencumbered as I am by either knowledge or the thought process, here's my pick for this season's national champ.
The winner of the USC/Ohio State game will have a clear shot to one berth in the national title game. Considering the Big Ten's recond in recent years against the PAC-10, home-standing USC should come out ahead.
The other team in the title game will probably be the winner of the Georgia/Florida brawl. Georgia is the pre-season number one team BUT the Bulldogs play a hellacious schedule that includes six ranked teams plus MAC favorite Central Michigan and a Kentucky squad that beat LSU last year. To make matters worse, the Dawgs will come into the game the week after visiting LSU in Baton Rouge.
Florida, on the other hand, has only three ranked teams on its schedule and plays at home the week before meeting Georgia. They also have the Heisman Trophy winner, and more talent than last year's club. Everything else being equal, Florida should win.
The championship: USC vs Florida should be a classic. For no other reason than the two team's strenght at QB, my pick is the Gators.
Rumple Foreskin
THURSDAY
Baylor vs Wake Forest (Battlin' Baptists go head-to-head) 7:00 pm FSN
FRIDAY
Rice vs SMU (first game for new SMU h/c June Jones) 7:00 pm ESPN
SATURDAY
LSU vs Appalachian St. (last year's I-A champs and I-AA champs meet in BR) 4:00 pm ESPN
La Tech vs Miss St. (first visit by an SEC team to bucolic Ruston) 5:45 pm ESPN2
Alabama vs Clemson (both nationally ranked) 7:00 pm ABC
Missoure vs Illinois (both nationally ranked) 7:30 pm ESPN
SUNDAY
Kentucky vs Louisville (in-state bragging rights and some sort of trophy) 2:30 pm ESPN
MONDAY
Tenn vs UCLA (the Vols need this one, big time) 7:00 pm ESPN
There are some interesting games that probably won't make it to the tube including Jacksonville St vs Georgia Tech. I'm betting the Yellow Jackets offered I-AA J-St. $200,000 to bus over to Atlanta and play the role of sacrificial lamb BEFORE Ryan Perrilloux (last year's SEC championship game MVP) was kicked off the LSU team and transfered to Jacksonville. Odds are the Jackets will still win, but it could be a very interesting game now, especially if GT turns over the ball a few times while trying to run its new triple-option offense.
Another game worth checking out is Utah vs Michigan. Last year Michigan lost its season operner to I-AA Appalachian St. at Ann Arbor. This year they open, at home again, this time against a Utah club that went 9-4 last year, has 9 starters back on offense and should challenge BYU for the Mt. West title. Wonder what the mood in Ann Arbor would be like if the Wolverines lost two straight home openers?
Memphis vs Mississippi: In theory, the Tigers, who finished strong last season and went to a bowl, should have little trouble with the Rebs, who didn't. But it'll be Houston Nutt's first game as h/c in Oxford so it'll be interesting to see how the team responds to him.
THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL CHAMPION WILL BE:
The nice thing about pre-season picks is no one remembers them when the season ends. Unencumbered as I am by either knowledge or the thought process, here's my pick for this season's national champ.
The winner of the USC/Ohio State game will have a clear shot to one berth in the national title game. Considering the Big Ten's recond in recent years against the PAC-10, home-standing USC should come out ahead.
The other team in the title game will probably be the winner of the Georgia/Florida brawl. Georgia is the pre-season number one team BUT the Bulldogs play a hellacious schedule that includes six ranked teams plus MAC favorite Central Michigan and a Kentucky squad that beat LSU last year. To make matters worse, the Dawgs will come into the game the week after visiting LSU in Baton Rouge.
Florida, on the other hand, has only three ranked teams on its schedule and plays at home the week before meeting Georgia. They also have the Heisman Trophy winner, and more talent than last year's club. Everything else being equal, Florida should win.
The championship: USC vs Florida should be a classic. For no other reason than the two team's strenght at QB, my pick is the Gators.
Rumple Foreskin
Doesn't mean we won't trounce a few teams
