Based on this post:
…and seeing nothing new on the subject, I looked at College football fans: how’s your team look? which ran from 08-21-2010, 09:47 AM –jsc1953 – to #372 12-04-2010, 10:09 AM – Zeldar – and thought a new thread would be a way to talk College Football again this year.
If other threads on more specific topics are needed, so be it. But here’s one to get the ball rolling.
Thanks Zeldar, It slipped my mind to start this thread after I posted yesterday. Plus I probably would have said something snarky about the Big 10. (oops I guess I just did). My team won last night, beating the Catamounts from Western Carolina! destroy them actually 63-21.
Looking forward to LSU/Oregon game tomorrow.
Not much has changed with my 2 teams since this question was raised last year at this time.
As an Irish Catholic, I have always rooted for Notre Dame, and as an Austinite, I have more or less embraced the Texas Longhorns.
I had a bad feeling about the Longhorns last year but was tentatively optimistic about Notre Dame. As it turned out, Texas was even WORSE than I feared while Notre Dame wasn’t quite as improved as I’d hoped.
This year? I still have a bad feeling about Texas, even though they did some good things (I like their new offensive and defensive coordinators). Garrett Gilbert was horrible at quarterback last year, and I’m aghast that he was handed the job on a platter again (despite the big show Mack Brown made of putting “every” starting job up for grabs, I don’t think there was ever the slightest chance Garrett Gilbert wouldn’t start). I remain unconvinced they’ll be MUCH better this year. With a few lucky breaks, I’d say Texas will go 7-5 and go to a minor bowl game (where they’ll lose).
Once again, I’m cautiously optimistic about Notre Dame. They were up and down last year, but I think Kelly has them moving in the right direction. I’ll say they go 9-3 and get invited to a MUCH better bowl game than they deserve, where they’ll get spanked.
Yep. That’s the only one that looks on its surface to be a real battle. It’s a true shame that it and the GA-Boise game are on TV opposite each other. Almost as bad as the simultaneous Auburn and Bama games.
In filling out my picks for Oak’s Pick’em I just felt honor bound to pick a few “upsets” in the batch, but that’s so hard to do! Cupcake City.
I missed watching the Kentucky game but it looks like I didn’t miss anything. Did anybody watch it? Was there anything positive to say about the Wildcats?
Well Wisconsin looked really good…against UNLV. So not much to go on. I predict, as happens any time the Badgers have a really good team that they will lose a conference game that they probably should win. I can’t wait for the UW-NU showdown at Camp Randall.
Looking forward to the UGA vs. Boise game, and crossing my fingers for yet another season. My Dawgs haven’t exactly been disappointing for the past few years, but they’ve been pretty mediocre. Between the loss of some damned fine starters, a young quarterback, and an inexperienced defense, this could be another tough season.
In IAA (FCS?) ball, I’m looking forward to watching my hometown team, the Ga. Southern Eagles, make a bid for another championship.
As I posted in the other thread, Mississippi State got off to a great start last night, shellacking Memphis 59-14. Seems like I remember entire seasons where my Bullydogs didn’t score 59 points. Granted, this was Memphis and not Alabama, but still I find it encouraging. Think they’re @Auburn next week. Would be great to get an SEC win to keep the dream alive…
That’s going to be a game! It could just happen that MSU might relieve AU of the now-world-famous College Football Belt that Auburn wrested from USCe last December. Tie that in with the Newton hubbub and the tension between the two schools might rise up to rival other interstate rivalries in the South.
No matter what, I will be pulling against your team! 
I’m looking forward to this season, but I also have my eyes on 2012 … that’s the year UCF makes their BCS run. You heard it here first.
That game has plenty of heat already, ever since Tuberville ran a fake FG to run up the score in Starkville a few years ago.
Oak, your Bulldogs should beat Auburn this year. I am not sure if Auburn is even going to have a winning season this year.
And my longshot pick to win the Nat’l Championship is the UGA BullDAWGS. if they can beat Spurrier next week at home, they should have smooth sailing to the SEC Championship game. IMO, they play the three worst teams from the SEC West (MSU, UM, AUB) and the only top-notch competition from the East is Spurrier’s team. Florida is going to be down, Volunteers continue to be down and Kentucky and Vandy are Kentucky and Vandy.
But if they don’t beat Boise, then I think it will be a long season in Athens.
And yes, this is a Ga Tech alumnus speaking.
From your mouth to God’s ear! Go Dawgs! (I knew I liked you for some reason.)
I’m a huge LSU fan and am really looking forward to tomorrow’s game. I don’t think Oregon will score as much as folks think Oregon is going to score. I’m not balls-out confident that LSU will win, but I think we will show up well. If there’s one thing people should know about LSU from the past 3-4 years is that they (almost) always find a way to win the close, last seond games. I’ve had quite a few heart-attacks in the last few years and most have come out in LSU’s favor.
Plus, LSU tends to show up big. Big game, big stage–they’re not the type of team that fades out or “doesn’t show.”
I think we have a great D-line and an even better secondary. We might have the fastest defense in the country. We are very deep on both sides of the ball. We’ll miss Russell Shepard, but, again, our depth should help.
Now, if only Jarrett Lee (nickname: “pick six”) completes more passes to his own team than to the other team, we might be able to score enough to eke out a win tomorrow. If not, well, it’s not a conference game.
My beloved Arkansas Razorbacks should be a good team this year, but their schedule is rough. That’s par for the course for any SEC team, of course, but with 6 games against Top 25 teams (Bama, Texas A&M, Auburn, S Carolina, Miss St. and LSU), I don’t see them being as successful as last year. I’d say they’ll be lucky to be 9-3.
Pretty good. Roll Tide!
OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH… C - A - N - E - S - Canes!
We got hit with some heavy suspensions on D for Maryland this week, but the running game is the team’s strength, so if Miami controls the clock and doesn’t commit turnovers, I think we’ll win a high scoring game against on Monday night. We’ll be nearly full strength for OSU the next week (missing Ray Ray Armstrong, the starting strong safety will hurt) so I think we can do well this year. I believe in Al Golden.
Don’t get too cocky. They open against my alma mater, the mighty Golden Flashes of Kent State, and at last look 'Bama was only a 38-point favorite. 
My other alma mater, Notre Dame, should be ok, 9-3 or 10-2 and a good bowl bid.
Michigan should be better. although I don’t expect to much better by record. They can’t recover from that abortion of defensive year in one off season. 8 or 9 wins, maybe 10 if things come together real well.
Cal fan here:
My sturdy Golden Bears are coming off their first losing season of The Tedford Era, and the pundits pick them to do even worse, 4-8 seems to be the consensus. The problems: new QB, relatively new TB, thin at OL and secondary, and they’re playing at AT&T while Memorial Stadium is being renovated.
On the upside: Tedford’s got the old gang back – he fired his receiver and OL coaches and brought back their predecessors, which everyone agrees is a huge upgrade. And we’ve got a young but very talented front 7 on D.
So I’m cautiously optimistic…I think we break .500 and go bowling.
I’m a USC fan who isn’t expecting anything great this season. The best I am hoping for is to see some good building blocks for next year when the penalties end.
It used to be said (never really true) a coach could go 2-10 at USC and keep his job if the wins were against UCLA and ND. But Petey set the bar pretty high by routinely trouncing the big rivals, and virtually everyone else. Under normal circumstances I would guess that 6 wins minimum would be needed now, but due to circumstances, Kiffin will get a bye for this season and be expected to turn it to eleven next year.