COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEKEND PREVIEW

by WCT, The Ship of Fools

Pic: Dr. Saturday

Week 2 is here and we're off and running. This weekend, unlike last week when we had a lot of yawners on-paper, features some interesting games for the knowledgeable fan. Sure, a lot of "experts" will be grousing about the fact that there are no marquee contests this Saturday, but we do have plenty of under-the-radar matchups that true fans of college pigskin will appreciate. That's a positive development for you and me, because it means that we won't have to wade through all of the Johnny-come-lately bandwagoners, clogging up our sports bars, wearing their polo shirts with popped collars, waving their USC pennants, asking each other "did we just score a home run?" Its a thinking-fan's week, so only the true fans need apply!

There are some up-and-coming teams that face tests against big boys, and some teams with the proverbial wheels falling off have opportunities to turn things around. And that is exactly where we will begin this week (all times eastern):

Miami University at Michigan (-14.5) - Noon - This is a scary game for Michigan. Miami is a very capable team. They are not as good as Utah (although Utah did everything they could to hand last week's game to the Wolverines) but still very able to come into the Big House and pull off a win. Michigan is still searching for an identity (and a quarterback). I personally think the spread here is a little high, but I think Michigan pulls it off to move to 1-1.

BYU at Washington (-9.5) - 3pm - This is got to be Ty Willingham's last stand, right? So far, he has done nothing in three years at Washington, and was blown out last week in the opener against Oregon. If the Huskies get embarrassed again, this week at home, you have to believe that Willingham will be a lame duck for the rest of the season. I think BYU beats them.

San Diego State at Notre Dame (-22) - 3:30pm - Our first look at Notre Dame in 2008. This game will be a good predictor as to how the Irish's season will go, because we as fans have absolutely no idea. If they crush the Aztecs, then ND could easily end up with 8 or 9 wins and a good bowl berth, as no one they play this year - excluding USC of course - is too too much better than SDSU. If they struggle, then it could be like '07 all over again. ND definitely has talent, but they are young, so its tough to come up with a projection of how their season will go. Judging by the spread (22 points!) Vegas seems to like the Irish. If Vegas likes 'em, that's good enough for me.

Cincinnati at Oklahoma (-21.5) - 3:30pm - Cincinnati is the textbook "up-and-coming" team. Last year, the Bearcats came out of nowhere to go 10-3 and win their bowl game. We all know OU's story, but did you know that Cincinatti averaged 36 points last year? Did you know that Cincinatti was one 5-point loss to WVU away from winning the Big East and going to a BCS bowl game? This could very easily turn into the game of the weekend, and no one is really talking about it. But true college football fans will appreciate this game. Not only that, but Big East pride is at stake here. For all of the talk about the pathetic showing by the ACC, many (myself included) failed to mention that the Big East was unable to register a win over a 1-A opponent last week. I think Cinci keeps it closer than the experts think.

Ole Miss at Wake Forest (-8) - 3:30pm - Very, very interesting. Ole Miss is another team that is ready to take that next step toward being a contender. With new coach Houston Nutt, and Texas transfer QB Jevan Snead under center(and doesn't that just sound like the name of a guy that should be playing college football in Mississippi? How many flip-haired, tie-wearing young Mississippians do you think you encounter on a given Saturday afternoon in "The Grove?" 20? 50?), the Rebels looked great last week against Memphis. I think they can surprise some people this year in the SEC. Wake is my pick to win the ACC, but being the best team in the ACC is like being the tallest midget. As we saw last week in Atlanta, a middling SEC team is at about the same level as a top-tier ACC team. This should be a close game, so I'm taking the Rebels.

Oregon State at Penn State (-16.5) - 3:30pm - Another interesting game. Oregon State has been on the verge of taking the next step and becoming a real contender in the Pac-10 (10-4 in '06, 9-4 in '07) for at least a couple years now, in as much as being a "real contender in the Pac-10" means staying within 3 touchdowns of USC. They took a huge step back last week as they were beaten by a surprising Stanford team, and now they travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State. The sane Nittany Lions who hung two-thirds of a hundred (doesn't have the same ring as "hangin' half a hundred, but oh well) on some hapless team from Carolinas last Saturday. It is impossible to glean anything about the Penn State from that game. Personally, when a middle-of-the-road team from a power conference plays a middle-of-the-road team from another power conference, the spread should not be more than 2 touchdowns. Take the points.

West Virginia (-8) at East Carolina - 4:30pm - Perhaps no team is brimming with more confidence than the East Carolina Pirates, who knocked off Virginia Tech last week. East Carolina, another up-and-coming team, could also have a slight edge in coaching here. I was not a big fan of the hiring of Bill Stewart at WVU after Rich Rod bolted, and Skip Holtz has done a great job building a respectable program at ECU. This is a very difficult game to predict, because again, its tough to gain any information about a team when they spend their first weekend pummelling a 1-AA team, as the Mountaineers did. Stewart favors a more pass-happy offense, and yes Pat White threw for 5 TDs last week, but that was against Villanova. How is he going to do against a better defense on the road? I'll reluctantly take WVU, but this should be an interesting game.

University of Miami at Florida (-21.5) - 8pm - This used to be such a big game. Now the only intrigue surrounding this matchup is the trash talk before the game, and the provocatively dressed women in the stands. Miami is improved over the last couple years, but they are still light-years behind the Gators.