The “Games to Watch” section will list some exciting upcoming games in the next week. Last year I went 44-21 with my “Prime 5 Picks.” I’ll look to improve my record this season. Each week, I will make 5 picks and I’ll try to pick the underdogs who will pull off the upsets as well as road teams. I’ll be sure to include at least one of the Big 3 Utah teams. I don't have a ton of readers, so I do it mostly for me. I hope you enjoy!
What We Learned
Week 1 tends to be overreaction week. Some teams may have done well against really bad teams, and some teams may have struggled even though they're breaking in new quarterbacks, new coaches, new systems, or simply a lot of turnover. Just because your team did well or didn't do well doesn't mean that's how it'll go the rest of the year.
My Buckeyes pulled it out against Navy. Ohio State had some growing pains to get through with a new offensive line and new QB. OSU tends to not play as well the first game of the year, so scheduling Navy helps get their act together. For breaking in a new QB, Meyer kept the game plan fairly conservative. Throwing for 226 yards on only 12 of 15 completions is great to see. He also led rushers with 50 yards on the ground. I think Barrett is going to be special. He's not quite the runner that Braxton is, but he is a duel-threat nonetheless. He's more accurate of a passer and goes through his reads more efficiently. The three-headed RB crew of Wilson, Samuel, and Elliott are gonna be tough to stop. Wilson has the speed on the outside for slower teams like Wisconsin, Elliott has the power to run up the gut against more finesse teams like Penn State, and Samuel is a combination of the two. It looks like they still need to fine-tune the defense a little bit, but this team is definitely a contender for the Big Ten title.
As much as it pains me to admit it, BYU has a really talented quarterback. I think the passing numbers are a little inflated due to the fast-paced offense they run, but that's what BYU needs to do in order to make up for the lack of talent that they have. Let's face it...BYU can't bring in all the SEC kids that schools like Alabama and LSU can. BYU has higher standards. It's harder to get a fishing license than it is to enroll at Ole Miss because they need talented football players. BYU doesn't need its sports to excel because it has a different focus. So if they can grab a talented QB like Hill and run a fast-paced offense to throw defenses off a little, they will win some games.
Utah had a field day against Idaho State. It's reminiscent of the old Mountain West Conference days when Utah would beat up on teams like UNLV and San Diego State. I'm all for playing tune-up games the first week of the season, I think it helps your team to gel and be prepared for the real tests of the year. The downside to playing cupcakes is you can never pinpoint the strengths of your team, only the weaknesses. If a lesser team exposes an area of your game, it looks bad. Utah's secondary, especially their corners, were one of the weak spots going into the season. That part of their game was exposed against a bad Idaho State team. Anything that goes right when you play a cupcake will be seen as, "oh, it's only because they played such a bad team." Utah won't be throwing up 56 points a game, and some of the things they did well are actually things they'll do well against better competition. But not everything is. So we'll have to wait and see how Utah reacts when they play a decent team.
Utah State has a tough test against Tennessee in a rare Sunday game.
Florida State is not the juggernaut we thought they were heading into the season. They're an elite team, of course, but Oklahoma State gave a nice blueprint on how to expose them. The Cowboys are going to be good this year, so I give them a lot of credit. FSU is probably still the best college football team in America, but the gap separating them from the rest of the pack may not be as big as we thought. Same goes for Alabama.
I'm not sold on UCLA. Of their 4 touchdowns against Virginia, 3 came from the defensive side of the ball. They have a Heisman trophy candidate. Scoring 1 touchdown on offense won't cut it if they're going to contend against Oregon, Stanford, and even USC. A lot of people have them winning the Pac-12, but I just don't think it'll happen.
Wisconsin is a very good team who nearly pulled off the upset in Louisiana. LSU was just too much for them. Both are near-the-top teams in their respective conferences, and we can see why the SEC is better than the Big Ten right now. Wisconsin can't get away from their run game which spells trouble for them if they fall too far behind in games this year. Their passing attack got them two interceptions when it counted most.
For a guy named Gurley, he was quite the man against Clemson. He ran for nearly 200 yards and a lot of those were after the first hit. He also had a kickoff return for a touchdown: 100 yards on top of his rushing stats. Georgia's running attack and special teams are going to be fun to watch.
My Buckeyes pulled it out against Navy. Ohio State had some growing pains to get through with a new offensive line and new QB. OSU tends to not play as well the first game of the year, so scheduling Navy helps get their act together. For breaking in a new QB, Meyer kept the game plan fairly conservative. Throwing for 226 yards on only 12 of 15 completions is great to see. He also led rushers with 50 yards on the ground. I think Barrett is going to be special. He's not quite the runner that Braxton is, but he is a duel-threat nonetheless. He's more accurate of a passer and goes through his reads more efficiently. The three-headed RB crew of Wilson, Samuel, and Elliott are gonna be tough to stop. Wilson has the speed on the outside for slower teams like Wisconsin, Elliott has the power to run up the gut against more finesse teams like Penn State, and Samuel is a combination of the two. It looks like they still need to fine-tune the defense a little bit, but this team is definitely a contender for the Big Ten title.
As much as it pains me to admit it, BYU has a really talented quarterback. I think the passing numbers are a little inflated due to the fast-paced offense they run, but that's what BYU needs to do in order to make up for the lack of talent that they have. Let's face it...BYU can't bring in all the SEC kids that schools like Alabama and LSU can. BYU has higher standards. It's harder to get a fishing license than it is to enroll at Ole Miss because they need talented football players. BYU doesn't need its sports to excel because it has a different focus. So if they can grab a talented QB like Hill and run a fast-paced offense to throw defenses off a little, they will win some games.
Utah had a field day against Idaho State. It's reminiscent of the old Mountain West Conference days when Utah would beat up on teams like UNLV and San Diego State. I'm all for playing tune-up games the first week of the season, I think it helps your team to gel and be prepared for the real tests of the year. The downside to playing cupcakes is you can never pinpoint the strengths of your team, only the weaknesses. If a lesser team exposes an area of your game, it looks bad. Utah's secondary, especially their corners, were one of the weak spots going into the season. That part of their game was exposed against a bad Idaho State team. Anything that goes right when you play a cupcake will be seen as, "oh, it's only because they played such a bad team." Utah won't be throwing up 56 points a game, and some of the things they did well are actually things they'll do well against better competition. But not everything is. So we'll have to wait and see how Utah reacts when they play a decent team.
Utah State has a tough test against Tennessee in a rare Sunday game.
Florida State is not the juggernaut we thought they were heading into the season. They're an elite team, of course, but Oklahoma State gave a nice blueprint on how to expose them. The Cowboys are going to be good this year, so I give them a lot of credit. FSU is probably still the best college football team in America, but the gap separating them from the rest of the pack may not be as big as we thought. Same goes for Alabama.
I'm not sold on UCLA. Of their 4 touchdowns against Virginia, 3 came from the defensive side of the ball. They have a Heisman trophy candidate. Scoring 1 touchdown on offense won't cut it if they're going to contend against Oregon, Stanford, and even USC. A lot of people have them winning the Pac-12, but I just don't think it'll happen.
Wisconsin is a very good team who nearly pulled off the upset in Louisiana. LSU was just too much for them. Both are near-the-top teams in their respective conferences, and we can see why the SEC is better than the Big Ten right now. Wisconsin can't get away from their run game which spells trouble for them if they fall too far behind in games this year. Their passing attack got them two interceptions when it counted most.
For a guy named Gurley, he was quite the man against Clemson. He ran for nearly 200 yards and a lot of those were after the first hit. He also had a kickoff return for a touchdown: 100 yards on top of his rushing stats. Georgia's running attack and special teams are going to be fun to watch.
Games to Watch for Next Week
We’re still weeding out the warm-up games a lot of teams have on their schedules, but there are a few really great games to watch this week despite the NFL stealing some of the limelight with its season starting this weekend. Week two tends to have a couple really good games and a lot of snoozers. Here is the rundown of games to tune in to:
Michigan State at Oregon...this is easily the best game of the week. With both teams having had primers against bad teams in week one, they'll get to face some real competition. Michigan State has one of the best defenses in the country while Oregon has one of the most high-powered offenses. The Spartans capped off their ground-breaking year last season with a road win (basically) over Stanford. Stanford is a team that's given Oregon fits the last few years having beaten Oregon the past 2 years and 3 of the past 5. Stanford and Michigan State have very similar styles of play. With the loss of Braxton Miller, MSU feels they have a great shot at winning the Big Ten and possibly grabbing a playoff spot. A win over Oregon is something they'll want to have on their resume.
USC at Stanford...Pac-12 play begins with Stanford hosting USC. USC has a lot of talent but not a lot of depth. Despite their talent, it's tough to prepare for teams like Stanford. With both teams coming off wins, this should be a fun game to watch. Maybe they can resurrect the rivalry that Harbaugh and Carroll had and continue to have in the NFL.
Michigan at Notre Dame...Go Irish! Utah should pay close attention to this game as they will play Michigan the following week. Go Utes!
Eastern Washington at Washington...This may turn out to be a good game despite the fact that an FCS team is playing. Eastern Washington is one of the best and could pull off the upset.
Michigan State at Oregon...this is easily the best game of the week. With both teams having had primers against bad teams in week one, they'll get to face some real competition. Michigan State has one of the best defenses in the country while Oregon has one of the most high-powered offenses. The Spartans capped off their ground-breaking year last season with a road win (basically) over Stanford. Stanford is a team that's given Oregon fits the last few years having beaten Oregon the past 2 years and 3 of the past 5. Stanford and Michigan State have very similar styles of play. With the loss of Braxton Miller, MSU feels they have a great shot at winning the Big Ten and possibly grabbing a playoff spot. A win over Oregon is something they'll want to have on their resume.
USC at Stanford...Pac-12 play begins with Stanford hosting USC. USC has a lot of talent but not a lot of depth. Despite their talent, it's tough to prepare for teams like Stanford. With both teams coming off wins, this should be a fun game to watch. Maybe they can resurrect the rivalry that Harbaugh and Carroll had and continue to have in the NFL.
Michigan at Notre Dame...Go Irish! Utah should pay close attention to this game as they will play Michigan the following week. Go Utes!
Eastern Washington at Washington...This may turn out to be a good game despite the fact that an FCS team is playing. Eastern Washington is one of the best and could pull off the upset.
Prime 5 Picks
Each week I'll be doing my Prime 5 Picks. All the cool names for picks were taken, so I'll use this until I can think up something better. I didn't post last weeks but here they are:
1. Ohio State over Navy (road)
2. Wisconsin over LSU (upset)
3. Penn State over UCF (upset)
4. Florida State over Oklahoma State (road)
5. Georgia over Clemson
I try to pick games that aren't as obvious, like Oregon over South Dakota. I also try to pick upsets and road wins. I knew FSU would be close over Oklahoma State, although I didn't think it'd be that close. I wanted to stay away from Texas A&M and South Carolina. I'm glad I did, because I would've picked the Gamecocks. So after week one, I'm 4-1 on my picks.
Here are the Prime 5 Picks for week 2:
1. Ohio State over Navy (road)
2. Wisconsin over LSU (upset)
3. Penn State over UCF (upset)
4. Florida State over Oklahoma State (road)
5. Georgia over Clemson
I try to pick games that aren't as obvious, like Oregon over South Dakota. I also try to pick upsets and road wins. I knew FSU would be close over Oklahoma State, although I didn't think it'd be that close. I wanted to stay away from Texas A&M and South Carolina. I'm glad I did, because I would've picked the Gamecocks. So after week one, I'm 4-1 on my picks.
Here are the Prime 5 Picks for week 2:
1) Ohio State over Virginia Tech. It'll be a little tougher than it looks on paper, but Barrett is going to make a couple really good plays to get the win over V-Tech.
2) Oregon over Michigan State. I want to pick the Spartans, I think they match up well with Oregon. I just don't think they'll have enough. It'll be a close game until the end when Mariota makes a play or two and puts the game away.
3) USC over Stanford (upset/road). USC definitely has the talent and I think they'll catch a few breaks caused by errors on Stanfords part. It's not much of an upset, but this should be the turning point when everyone realizes USC is heading back up to being a national power.
4) Texas over BYU. I'm sure the loss to BYU is still haunting the Longhorns from last year. With a new coach in place, Texas looks more like the team people think they should look like. Hill is still going to put up numbers, but Texas has a renewed vigor and a stronger team. It'll be close, but Texas comes out ahead.
5) Michigan over Notre Dame (upset). Initially I had Notre Dame winning this one. Michigan's biggest concern was at RB and Derrick Green has solved that problem. Their new offensive coordinator from Alabama is showing just how good he can be. The Irish keep it close but ultimately can't compete in the big game. Sound familiar?
Not too many upsets this week since most teams are playing cupcakes. If there are some upsets, they'll probably be big ones. I'm just glad that college football is back even though my wife isn't.
Not too many upsets this week since most teams are playing cupcakes. If there are some upsets, they'll probably be big ones. I'm just glad that college football is back even though my wife isn't.
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