Your 2008 Pac-10 Preview

by Amy Lamare of www.gridirongoddess.net

I can make this real quick football fiends: USC will win its 7^th straight Pac 10 championship and head to a BCS bowl game.

And that concludes your 2008 Pac-10 Preview. UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona and Arizona State – all y’all might as well stay home. Rey Maualuga, Mark Sanchez, Joe McKnight and the boys have got this one sewn up.

In all seriousness though, the Pac-10 does not back down from a challenge when scheduling its non-conference games. This year teams in the Pac-10 face: Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, BYU, Boise State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Purdue, just to name a handful. No 1-AA cupcake rivals here!

ARIZONA WILDCATS:

It’s do or die time for Coach Mike Stoops. He’s going to have to get his Wildcats to win 6 games to at least have a shot at keeping his job. If he can do this, Arizona will get to Bear Down for their first bowl game since 1998. I’m betting in Stoops’ favor since his non-conference lineup is fairly easy with games against Idaho and Toledo and at New Mexico.

Senior QB Willie Tuitama is going to have to step it up and generate some scoring this season for the Wildcats to be competitive in the Pac-10. The defense returns only 3 starters, and that’s not the only bad news for the Wildcat D. Their most experienced defensive lineman, Jonathan Turner, was suspended from the team’s summer practices after being charged with sexual assault last spring. He is awaiting his trial.

Junior college transfer Nick Booth hopes to boost the Arizona running game. This 225 pound running back joins Nic Grisby, Xavier Smith and true freshman Keola Antolin on the Wildcat depth chart.

Arizona‘s Non Conference Schedule: Idaho, Toledo, New Mexico

Arizona reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

ARIZONA STATE SUNDEVILS:

ASU was picked to finish 2^nd behind USC in the pre-season Pac-10 poll. The Sun Devils are prepping for their second season under Coach Dennis Erickson and they have one MAJOR issue: The Offensive Line. They don’t have one. Seriously, last season QB Rudy Carpenter spent so much time on his back that I started to wonder if those were not linemen lined up in front of him, but rather, Fatheads.

Dennis Erickson is incorporating a quick release spread offense this season to help Carpenter’s protection. A good portion of his 55 sacks last season were due to him holding onto the ball too long. Five players have left the team since the conclusion of spring practices, including tight end Dane Guthrie. (Academic reasons for former defensive end Guthrie.)

ASU plays a doozy of a non conference game when it faces Georgia on September 20^th. If the Sun Devils do not solve their offensive line woes before then, they will not get out of that game alive. Ditto for their conference games against USC and Oregon.

If Carpenter gets the protection he needs either from his O-Line or the new offense, look out Tempe, your Sun Devils could crack the AP/USA Today top 10 with potentially their only losses coming at the hands of Georgia and USC. A Holiday Bowl berth, or should USC play for the BCS title, a Rose Bowl berth is yours for the taking.

ASU’s Non Conference Schedule: Northern Arizona, UNLV, Georgia

Arizona State reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS:

Last season Cal went from #2 in the country to losing six of its eight final games to end up 7-6. A QB controversy rages in Berkeley, and it’s looking at the moment like we have a Sam Keller/Rudy Carpenter ASU flip flop of QBs brewing.

At the Pac-10 Media Day, Coach Jeff Tedford said:

“We’ll pick a starter probably the week of the first game… It may take both of them to help us reach our goals…They are both going to get some game time.”

Really Tedford? Look I know Longshore flailed around a lot in the second half of last season while he battled his ankle injury. And Kevin Riley lit it up in your Bowl Game. Against Air Force. Air Force. Is Riley really the guy you want facing USC and Oregon, or is seasoned senior Longshore your guy? Just remember Arizona 2006, Coach Koetter, Sam Keller and Rudy Carpenter and what a mess that whole situation was.

It seems from all I’ve heard and read that Tedford is leaning towards Riley. And sure, he knows things we do not know. Whoever gets the nod as QB has a whole new group of WRs to throw to. Juco transfer RB Javid Best comes with hype, but he’s also undersized.

Tedford and Co have a lot to address offensively. That said, they should finish in the top ½ of the Pac-10s final standings.

Cal‘s Non Conference Schedule: Michigan State, Maryland, Colorado State

Cal reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

OREGON DUCKS:

Oregon lost their star QB Dennis Dixon to the NFL, but expect to reload quickly with new QB Nate Costa.

Oregon has a powerful defense with one of the best secondaries in the nation. Last year, Oregon ended up 9-4, largely due to Dixon’s season ending injury against Arizona, sending the Ducks into a 3 game losing streak.

Three Ducks are recovering from off season knee surgeries and are expected to be good to go by the first game. (QB Costa, TB Jeremiah Johnson, LB John Bacon) Tight End Na’Derris Ward, a UGA transfer joins juco transfers Jeremiah Masoli (QB) and Ellis Krout (WR) as new Ducks this season.

Oregon’s secondary is scary. Three Ducks are on the Thorpe Award Watch list: Patrick Chung, Walter Thurmond III, and Jarius Boyd.

Oregon was voted #3 in the Pac-10 pre-season poll. Look for them to challenge ASU for #2 behind USC.

Oregon‘s Non Conference Schedule: Utah State, Purdue, Boise State

Oregon reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th

OREGON STATE BEAVERS:

Oregon State’s program has put up an impressive 19 wins in the past 2 seasons, including a 2006 upset of USC. Their strong defense has been the key to their success of late. The Beavers face a challenge going into this season as they have to completely rebuild the front seven on their D, including S Brian Payton. Payton left the program this summer with no explanation. Beavs and Trojans alike may remember him as the player who had the key interception in the Beavers 2006 upset of Troy. So, good news for Trojans! (Like we need more good news, eh?)

Big things are expected of true freshman WR Jordan Bishop from West Salem (OR) H.S. Ditto to DE and juco transfer Simi Kuli, he is being touted as the key to making the new D-Line gel.

Good news for the OSU Squad: Guard Jeremy Perry is expected to be ready to play by the start of the season. He is one of, if not the best guards in the Pac-10. Perry missed most of 2007 with a broken leg and is recovering from knee surgery this spring.

The Beavers have a tough schedule, not only do they face conference rivals USC, ASU and Oregon; they have a rough non-conference schedule this year as well. I expect the Beavers to finish near the middle of the Pac. (Pun intended)

OSU’s Non Conference Schedule: Penn State, Hawaii, Utah

Oregon State reports to pre-season camp on August 1^st.

STANFORD CARDINAL:

Yes I know. We were 41 point favorites. Yes I know, biggest upset in college football. (but? Really? Michigan-Appalachian State comes to mind as being a bigger upset.) But I point out that John David Booty should have sat out when he broke his finger, not thrown 4 interceptions.

Bygones.

The Cardinal has some questions in this second season under showboating Coach Jim Harbaugh. Sure they return a conference high sixteen starters from last year’s squad, with seven of those on offense, but who is their QB? And let’s not forget that despite their (fluke) upset of Southern California, this is the offense ranked last in its conference in yards and points per game. So yeah, the Cardinal, he has some questions to be answered. Such as will injured starters Allen Smith (OT, kneecap) and Jim Dray (TE, knee) be ready to play at some point this season. Cardinal blogs report that we may not see either of these players in 2008.

Notre Dame transfer Konrad Reuland is expected to take on the Tight End duties this year; Oct 4 should be interesting for him. (Stanford faces the Fighting Irish on this day.)

The QB slot is a three man battle between Tavita Prichard, Jason Forcier and Alex Loukas, but highly touted freshman recruit Andrew Luck could be the man the Cardinal needs at QB.

This program faces an uphill battle with the high academic standards required just to achieve admission to Leland Stanford Junior University. Can Harbaugh bring wins to Palo Alto? Sure he can-but he’ll need several years of recruiting to do it. After all, he’s not just looking for explosive athletes, he’s also looking for exceptional academics as well.

Look for Stanford to finish 7^th or lower in the Pac-10.

Stanford’s Non Conference Schedule: TCU, San Jose State, Notre Dame

Stanford reports to pre-season camp on August 1^st.

UCLA BRUINS:

High up in the hills of Westwood, offensive to the lumberjack’s eyes, Lies the Cal extension campus known as Westwood High. Fight! Fight! Fight! Home of all the Bruin bear cubs, UGLY is its name. The student body’s vile, The campus is a pile, and the football team’s a shame! Fight! Fight! Fight! U. G. L. Y, UGLY Eat my shorts!

At least that’s the way we sing it at USC. In all seriousness though, this is not looking like a good year for those Bruins who wear the powder blue jerseys. It could be considered a successful season if UCLA is bowl eligible at season’s end.

I mean, what are you going to do without a QB or an Offensive Line? Or, more accurately, a just coming off his umpteenth injury QB and no O-Line? Norm Chow may be the guru that helped Coach Carroll resurrect the storied tradition of Trojan football, but you’ve got to have PLAYERS to build a football team.

I am biased, that is not a secret. There is not a lot of love for the Bruins from this Trojan. So let’s just look at some of the facts.

• They have the 10^th ranked offensive line in the Pac-10
• Both Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan were injured on the same day in Spring practice. Patrick Cowan is out for the season with his injury.
• Olson is insanely injury prone himself.
• Rick Neuheisel is in his first year as Head Coach in Westwood. Norm Chow is in his first year as Offensive Coordinator in Westwood (traitor!). Much of the rest of the coaching staff is brand new.
• The pitiful O-Line needs to replace 4 starters from last year’s so-so squad.
• Projected starting RT Sean Sheller is out for the season with injuries sustained in an ATV accident. That’s 5 Offensive Linemen needing replacement now.
• Junior tailback Christian Ramirez will miss the season because he did not meet NCAA eligibility requirements.
• If QB Olson somehow remains healthy all season and makes it to the USC game, he will most assuredly be Maualugaed.

Do I need to go on? Neuheisel, Chow and co. walk into a bit of a mess over there in Westwood. Do they have the chops to turn it around and return UCLA to glory? Yes, they do. It’s just not going to happen THIS year.

UCLA’s Non Conference Schedule: Tennessee, BYU, Fresno State

UCLA reports to pre-season camp on August 5^th.

USC TROJANS:

Look for USC to meet Georgia for the BCS Title. We were anointed the pre-season #1 at the Pac-10 media day today and we are a favorite to win the Nat’l Championship. Not only do we face formidable conference rivals Oregon and ASU but we’ve got a September 20^th date with the Buckeyes of Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum too.

Do it better than it’s ever been done before and never stop competing. Win Forever. Always Compete.

These are but a few of our team mottoes.

Consider these facts. Under Pete Carroll, USC has:

• Six Consecutive Pac-10 titles
• A record Six straight BCS bowls
• A record five BCS bowl wins
• Three Heisman Trophy Winners
• Two National Championships
• A Nationwide high 10 players drafted into the NFL in the 2008 Draft
• An NCAA record of 63 straight games scoring 20 or more points
• A national record of 33 straight weeks as the AP #1
• Six consecutive AP finishes in the top 4.
• A 76-14 (84.4%) record

The question is not: Will USC be good? The question is: Can USC be beat? And if so, how?

Mark Sanchez, the 6’3″, 223lb junior takes over as QB this year. Coming out of high school in 2004 he was everybody’s All American. One Pac-10 coach said Sanchez was the best QB he’d ever seen on film.

Now he gets a chance to show the Nation how good he is.

Folks, not much needs to be said about my Trojans. We will dominate if we stay focused. And focus is not something Pete Carroll’s teams lack.

In Pete We Trust.

Fight on!

USC’s Non Conference Schedule: Virginia, Ohio State, Notre Dame

USC reports to pre-season camp on August 6^th.

WASHINGTON HUSKIES:

Tyrone Willingham is another Pac-10 coach on the hot seat. He meets his former team, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on October 25^th at Husky Stadium but the discomfort of that is nothing compared to the November 15^th date the Huskies have with the Bruins. See, Rick Neuheisel is the Anti-Christ to Husky Nation. His very existence reminds U Dub fans of how elite their program once was and what his role was in dismantling it.

Washington has been slow in improving under Willingham’s tutelage. And slow is not what Husky fans want. They want a return to the days of glory. To winning the Pac-10-which they haven’t done since Rick Neuheisel’s second season in 2000. To winning the National Championship-their last was in 1991. Not to another 4-9 season and bottom of the Pac-10 finish.

This is the program Neuheisel destroyed in the eyes of Husky Nation. I hope he has bodyguards for the November 15^th game in Seattle.

Look at it like this: Willingham is going into his third season and is 9-16 overall. When Pete Carroll ended his second full season at USC, he was 17-8 overall and coming off an 11-2 season and top 4 AP finish. In his 3^rd season USC won a share of the National Championship with a 12-1 record.
This is the sort of thing Husky fans expect from their Coach. Miracles.

For Willingham to be successful at retaining his job-which we’ll define by a 6 win season and bowl berth-he will have to instill confidence in his squad. He will have to imbue them with the will to win. That’s going to be hard to do if he starts off 0-3 which is very likely considering the first three teams the Huskies face are Oregon, BYU and Oklahoma.

Ouch.

On the one hand, you’ve gotta respect a guy with a program trying to battle it’s way up from the doldrums of the conference who goes out and schedules BYU and Oklahoma as two of his team’s three non-conference games. (The third being his date with Notre Dame.)

On the other hand, you’ve got to wonder if he’s drinking some spiked Kool-Aid that makes him think his 2-7 in the Pac-10 last year team can post a winning season with these kinds of odds stacked against them.

It’s going to be interesting to sit back and see how it unfolds this season. Husky fans, you have my sympathy-after all, USC Football in the 1990’s was very painful, I know how it feels.

Washington‘s Non Conference Schedule: BYU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame

Washington reports to pre-season camp on August 4^th.

WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS:

41 year old Paul Wulff is new to the Wazzou coaching job. He’s inheriting a team with issues up the Wazzou. (pun intended.) What Cougar fans will like is that Wulff is a former Cougar player himself. He played offensive line for the Washington State Cougars from 1986 to 1989.

The Cougar’s have a stellar receiver in First Team All Pac-10 senior Brandon Gibson. They have a new QB in 6’7″, 233lb Gary Rogers. And Coach Wulff is bringing a new offense to Pullman. Will Gibson and Rogers be up to Wulff’s no-huddle attack? We’ll know soon enough.

Wulff also has inherited a team with a bunch of off-field issues. They lost eight scholarships when they failed to meet the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate Standards. 25 Cougar players have been arrested in the past 18 months. Safety Xavier Hicks is spending 45 days in jail, and missing the first 3 games of the season after pleading guilty to 2 gross misdemeanors. Defensive lineman Andy Roof’s troubled past has left his fate as a Cougar player up in the air.

But signs of change are already apparent. Coach Wulff cut QB recruit Calvin Schmidtke from the team because of a number of controlled-substance violations.

With the kind of problems this team faces, a former Cougar may just be the man to clean up the face of the program while steadily improving the team. The Cougars were 5-7 last year. I don’t expect much of an improvement this year, though it could be said that maintaining a 5-7 record would be an improvement with all the changes that need to be made and questions that need to be answered in Pullman.

Wazzou’s Non Conference Schedule: Oklahoma State, Baylor, Portland State

Washington State reports to pre-season camp on August 5^th.

And that concludes Your 2008 Pac-10 Preview my football fiends. Next up is the Big 10. Give me a couple of days, this one took 2 days to do. (I’m betting because it is MY conference. I’m HOPING because it is MY conference. And because it is over 3,000 words maybe?)

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Booty or Sanchez? Inquiring Trojans and Ducks want to know…

UPDATE: SANCHEZ TO START SATURDAY AGAINST THE OREGON DUCKS. WOO HOO!

Coach Pete Carroll is rumored to be announcing which USC QB is getting the start against Oregon either tonight or early tomorrow. Do you go with the seasoned, though rusty from weeks off due to injury John David Booty? Or do you go with the young upstart who had so much success in South Bend Mark Sanchez? Both have their strong and weak points. Sanchez’s arm is much stronger and for that reason I dig him–he’s an exciting player to watch. Booty–his long balls and accuracy has always made me nervous.Booty has practiced with the receiver’s glove off his throwing hand for the past two days with pretty good success by all reports. But is “almost having all the feeling back” good enough for the #5 ranked Ducks of Oregon and their exposive Dennis Dixon headed offense?

I tend to think not.

And sure, Sanchez was skittish early in the 1st quarter at Notre Dame, but he came back and threw for four touchdowns with no picks. Booty was looking wobbly even before he broke his finger during the loss to Stanford. And a wobbly veteran against Oregon is scarier to me than a new QB fresh off a big game in a loud stadium is.

I don’t know. I’d go with Sanchez if I were the Coach. But I’m not. And if Carroll goes with Booty, I will try to trust in him.

Image credit: Trojan Wire

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Vive le Sanchez! Numero seises in da house!

USC QB Update: I hear my new inappropriate crush Mark Sanchez has been taking the majority of snaps in practice this week, leading one Gridiron Goddess to believe he is going to start this weekend against the Ducks of Oregon in Autzen stadium.

YAY!

Autzen is a scary, noisy, hellish place for visiting teams. Sanchez being cool under the pressure and noise of Notre Dame stadium gives me confidence that he can perform well at Autzen too. Booty, on the other hand, seems to be nervous in these loud, raucous, hostile environments. Example: Loss to UCLA @ the Rose Bowl last season.

I am less afraid of the Oregon-USC match-up with Sanchez under center. USC enters this game as the underdog for the first time in a Pac-10 match-up since 2001. The line on the game is currently Oregon -3. So YIKES, more or less even. Which makes sense given the return to health of USC’s defense and Oregon’s loss of top WR and other key players.

In any case, it should be a great game for everyone but me. LOL I like it when the Trojans are winning by 40. Oregon’s offense is ranked second nationally in yards (550.9 per game) and scoring (46.6 points). QB Dennis Dixon is a force to be reckoned with. USC is ranked third in total defense (252.1 yards) and 10th in scoring defense (16.6 points). Rey Maualuga, Sedrick Ellis, Lawrence Jackson et al are forces to be reckoned with.

But still, I do not like Autzen Stadium. Especially at night. Luckily this game is during the day.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

CFB wrap up #2: Further thoughts on the Wacky Weekend that was

Hello fellow football fiends, my Ny/Day-quil haze has lifted a bit and in thinking about the CARAZY day that Saturday was for the top 25, hell, especially for the top 10, I have a few thoughts:

1. Urban Meyer’s vaunted offense is being exposed as a one-trick show. He relies on athletic QB’s. That seems to be it. Florida has no truly reliable stand out receivers or running backs despite recruiting such blue chip players as Percy Harvin. Shut down Tim Tebow as Auburn’s defense did on Saturday, and the Meyer offense stalls. But look back to Meyer’s days at Utah, it was all about Alex Smith and what he could do and the most talked about running back spoken of in the same breath as Smith/Utah was USC’s Reggie Bush and how he and Smith played on the same High School team in San Diego.

Tebow is a mightily talented athlete. But he cannot carry an entire offense on his shoulders and he should not have to.

2. The only team that can beat USC is USC. How else do you explain 16 penalties for 160 yards, the loss of two key offensive players and a respectable opponent in the vastly improved Washington Huskies and yet they still manage to eke out a win? Now, should USC play like that against Cal, or Oregon or ASU or LSU–would they be able to eke out that win? Maybe, maybe not, but let it be known, Washington did not even come close to outplaying USC last night. What they did was take advantage of the uncharacteristic mistakes USC made.

3. Speaking of USC: they need 2 things right now. A receiver to emerge as the dominant go to guy. Right now Fred Davis, the tight end is Booty’s go to guy. And while Patrick Turner had a better than usual for this season night last night, he still drops too many balls for this Trojan fan’s liking. You can’t do that at this level. Secondly, our defense needs to get to work on creating turnovers like the 2004 and 2005 squads did. Man, those defenses were exciting to watch.

4. LSU is not looking as freakishly dominant as they did in their first few games. They had to battle back from a 3-9 deficit at halftime to post that final 34-9 score that looks like they were in charge the whole time. QB Matt Flynn does seem to be the weakest link thus far, having none of former starting QB JaMarcus Russell’s firepower to date.

5. USC plays Cal at Cal and Oregon at Autzen Stadium. Autzen Stadium scares me.

6. The Florida-Auburn situation creates an interesting SEC possibility. Florida was beaten by Auburn focusing on controlling Tebow. Auburn does not have remotely the kind of strong defense that LSU does. Offensively, LSU is showing some chinks in their armor. Can Auburn beat LSU? Hmmmm. Can Flordia beat LSU? One looks possible, the other one, not so much.

7. Did you notice something in FSU’s win over Bama? When Bowden took slow, plodding, boring, QB Drew Weatherford out and put Xavier Lee in, their offense came to life. Could this signal a new era for the ‘Noles? It SHOULD.

8. Did you notice how Notre Dame managed to find an offense and score a whopping 19 points once Coach Weis took QB Jimmy Clausen OUT and put Evan Sharpley in? Note to Demetrius Jones, maybe you jumped ship a bit quickly?
-Your Gridiron Goddess, trying NOT to focus on the fact that the Eagles are losing.

Tap those kegs, it’s time for some CFB action

Hey there Fellow Football Fiends!! Happy Friday!!! I just got home from my stint on the radio and it was so much fun!! Many many thanks to the gang over at KROQ and The Kevin and Bean show for having me in. And, if you’ve found your way here after listening to me dork out on all things football on 106.7 this morning–WELCOME to my corner of Al Gore’s Internet. I hope you enjoy it!!!

Let’s get down to the business of my college football picks for the weekend.

32 teams. 16 games. 16 winners. 16 losers. Here’s how I think it will all shake down:

Purdue over Notre Dame — The season of atrocity continues for fans of the Irish UPDATE: Pudue wins 33-19

LSU over Tulane – Like taking candy from a baby, this pick is. UPDATE: LSU wins 34-9

Penn State over Illinois – JoePa and his Nittany Lions keep on rollin’ along. UPDATE: Illinois wins 27-20

Michigan over Northwestern – You know, I would not be too surprised if Northwestern pulls off the upset. UPDATE: Michigan wins 28-16

Oklahoma over Colorado – The Sooners look stronger and stronger and Sam Bradford is developing into way more of an offensive leader than former Heisman winning QB Jason White was. UPDATE: Colorado wins 27-24

Rutgers over Maryland – Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights are a force to be reckoned with in the Big East. UPDATE: Maryland wins 34-24

Michigan State over Wisconsin – I just have a feeling about this one. UPDATE: Wisconsin wins 37-34

Texas over Kansas State – Bevo’s Boys will rack up another win UPDATE: KSU wins 41-21

Louisville over NC State – Look for the Cardinals to stop their downward spiral and avenge their loss to Syracuse. UPDATE: L’ville wins 29-10

Bama over FSU – some hoopla is being made about Alabama Native Son Bobby Bowden coaching against Bama for the first time in his career. But Saban’s Crimson Tide will be too much for FSU’s broken offense to handle UPDATE: Florida State wins 21-14 and welcomes in the era of QB Xavier Lee.

UCLA over Oregon State – Olson returns to the lineup as QB as Cowan has a partial tear of his MCL. UPDATE: UCLA wins 40-14

UVA over Pitt – Al Groh and the Cavaliers are off to a 3-1 start this season. UPDATE: UVA wins 44-14

USC over Washington – does anyone out there doubt this one? The spread is USC -21. ‘Nuff said. UPDATE: USC wins 27-24 and looks like crap doing it.

Florida over Auburn – Tim Tebow and the Gators will preside in this SEC matchup. UPDATE: Auburn wins 20-17

Ohio State over Minnesota – Buckeyes are too much for the Golden Gophers to handle. UPDATE: Ohio State wins 30-7

Oregon over Cal – I struggled with this one, it could go either way and should be a HELL of a good game. UPDATE: Cal wins 31-24

Special Bonus Friday Night Pick ‘Em:

South Florida over West Virginia – yeah I said it. USF did it last year, and are a stronger team this year so I am throwing my support behind the Bulls of South Florida. UPDATE: USF wins 21-13

Those are my picks, as usual I will update them tomorrow as the day develops. And now my football fiends, I am off to San Diego with Nacho Friendly to see the Dave Matthew Band concert tonight. If there is one thing I love as much or almost as much as football, it is DMB concerts.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

College Game Day starts at Gridiron Goddess.net

Fellow football fiends! How’s it hangin’ on this fine Friday night? I must say I had quite the enjoyable evening with one of my bestest pals in the whole wide world, Ashley. She’s in town from St. Thomas USVI, is a UF Gator alum, and a Delta Gamma like me. She rocks. Which reminds me, I have a funny story to tell y’all about from when I went to visit Ash down in the Virgin Islands over my last birthday in April. It starts out something like – what do you do when one Trojan alum and one Gator alum, both sorority girls, are confronted with an 18 year old high school senior who just committed to Notre Dame? And yeah, it may or may not have involved the bunny ears we are wearing in this pic. We’re FUN, y’all. LOL

 

It’s a great story. And I think y’all will laugh and laugh and laugh. But for now, it’s been a hell of a long day, there was wine and possibly french fries involved this evening and yo-College Game Day starts at freaking 7am out here on the left coast. And I’ll be up for it, especially since it is taking place at Nebraska, where my beloved Trojans are playing tomorrow.

 

So, I am gonna quit my yammering now and just get down to my picks.

 

USC over Nebraska – UPDATE USC wins 49-31 I kind of hate it when late TDs are scored against our 2nd and 3rd string, but I also don’t believe in leaving first string in when you are so far ahead just to run up the score. It is a conundrum my friends.

 

Florida over Tennessee UPDATE: Florida wins 59-20 I disagree completely with Urban Meyer leaving Tebow in so long, it smacks of a potential Bama-Tyrone Prothro tragedy all over again. LOVED the Gator’s backup QB-What a character! Looking forward to seeing more of him. And for the record, I think it is classless to run up the score. I do realize it IS done regularly in some conferences, I am just used to the Pac-10 way of doing things.

 

Georgia Tech over BC UPDATE: BC wins 24-10

 

Louisville over Kentucky – though I must say, I am very tempted to go with Kentucky here UPDATE: Kentucky wins 40-34. Another barn burner

 

Virginia Tech over Ohio UPDATE VT wins 28-7

Iowa over Iowa State UPDATE: Iowa State wins 15-13

Oklahoma over Utah State UPDATE: Oklahoma wins 54-3

Oregon over Fresno State UPDATE: Oregon wins 52-21

LSU over MTSU UPDATE: LSU wins 44-0

Washington over Ohio State – yep, I am serious. Willingham’s team has got the mojo right now. UPDATE: Ohio State wins 33-14

Bama over Arkansas UPDATE: Bama wins 41-38 in a total nail biting barn-burner 4th qtr! YAY!

Cal over Louisiana Tech UPDATE: Cal wins 42-12

UCLA over Utah UPDATE: Utah wins 44-6. Am so not unhappy to have wrongly predicted this one. 😉 hee hee

Michigan over Notre Dame UPDATE: Michigan wins 38-0 Wow. There truly are no words for how bad ND is, especially on offense.

Florida State over Colorado UPDATE: Florida State wins 16-6 Is it just me or was this the longest game in history? Or maybe it’s just because it is my 16th hour of football today now?

Hawaii over UNLV UPDATE: Hawaii wins 49-14

and I am gonna go out on a limb and say:

Virginia over UNC UPDATE: Virginia wins 22-20

OK, Your Gridiron Goddess must get her beauty sleep for she has a whole day of NCAA football ahead of her.

-Your Gridiron Goddess

A Harem of the Goddess post: Marcus on A Game Most Fascinating

Who doesn’t love college football?! A nobody from the hills of N.C. whips an iconic powerhouse in the Land of the Hand, and the reverberations go straight to… what?… Eugene?!The other ASU’s Big House smackdown means Oregon isn’t prepping to take on a chest-thumping title contender in Ann Arbor this Saturday. Nah, that was so preseason. Now the Ducks face a humiliated, pissed-off Michigan that’s either going to storm from the tunnel and redeem itself on the Ducks’ iffy D, or might really be the mediocre, dispirited Maize’n’Blue shocked – shocked! – by App State.

Given the Ducks’ domination of reigning Conf. USA champ Houston last Sat., is Oregon at Michigan (ABC, 12:30PST) this week’s Most Fascinating Game, or what? Vegas has faith in the Maize by a TD. But can Carr & Co. recover in a week and stop newly-prolific dual-threat QB Dennis Dixon? Will Duck feathers ruffle in the hostile vibe? Will there even be a hostile vibe, or is the entire state outside of East Lansing in a collective hangover? Fascinating!