College football: Game week is here
This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. College football is back.
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore drops back to pass during an NCAA college football practice on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010 in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune, Charlie Litchfield)
Games in Norman and Stillwater on Saturday night. Games on television Thursday through Monday. I know I harp a lot on the mismatches of September (Ohio State-Marshall, Florida-Miami (Ohio), Texas-Rice, OU-Utah State, I can go on all day), but there also are a good number of watchable games.
Thursday night, Southern Miss at South Carolina (Larry Fedora U. at Steve Spurrier State), Pitt at Utah in a Fiesta Bowl rematch from six years ago and USC at Hawaii (Lane Kiffin goes to the beach).
Friday night, Arizona plays at Toledo (mini-Bedlam: Mike Stoops vs. Tim Beckman).
Saturday, Colorado-Colorado State, Northwestern-Vanderbilt, Notre Dame-Purdue, Michigan-Connecticut, Kentucky-Louisville, Kansas State-UCLA, BYU-Washington, TCU-Oregon State, LSU-North Carolina and Fresno State-Cincinnati.
Sunday, two games of great Oklahoma interest: Tulsa-East Carolina and Texas Tech-SMU.
Monday, Boise State-Virginia Tech.
I have no idea how this ranks as an opening weekend historically, but it will do for me until we get rid of all the arranged victories.
Anyway, here’s what I consider the top 10 games.
1. Boise State-Virginia Tech: A national title contender is eliminated on Labor Day night, on a not-really neutral field (FedEx in suburban D.C.).
2. TCU-Oregon State: Another not-really neutral field, this one in Arlington. Which is 15 miles from Fort Worth and 2,036 miles from Corvallis. But the winner gets a huge boost, the Frogs back into BCS contention and the Beavers stamped as Rose Bowl contenders.
3. LSU-North Carolina: A true-neutral field in Atlanta gives Butch Davis a chance to make a national statement with his Tar Heels.
Virginia Tech's Darren Evans looks on during their season's first NCAA college football practice in Blacksburg, Va., Friday, Aug. 6, 2010. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times,Justin Cook)
4. Pitt at Utah: The Utes are the most underrated program in America. In the ’00s, Utah went 86-36, including 8-0 in bowl games and 2-0 in BCS games.
5. Connecticut at Michigan: Rich Rodriguez will know quickly where his future lies. The Wolverine coach is out on the streets if he doesn’t turn around Michigan in 2010.
6. Cincinnati at Fresno State: Can the Bearcats win the Big East for the third straight season? Will they be a threat to upset the Sooners on Sept. 26 at Paul Brown Stadium. A trip to the Valley will offer clues.
7. Washington at BYU: The Huskes apparently have a coach in Steve Sarkisian. The Cougars, no doubt about it, have a program. BYU never has made a BCS bowl. It’s about time.
8. Purdue at Notre Dame: The Brian Kelly Era begins in South Bend.
9. UCLA at Kansas State: The Polar Opposite Bowl. UCLA will play anyone anywhere (the Bruins also go to Texas and host Houston), while Bill Snyder is trying to get the Wildcats out of playing any team with shoulder pads.
10. SMU at Texas Tech: Alas, no June Jones/Mike Leach matchup. That would have been a gunslinger game for the ages. But Tech is no less interesting under Tommy Tuberville; how much will Tommy T. move away from the Red Raiders’ Leach roots?
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
What’s shocking is K-State playing a big-time non-conf. opponent vs. UCLA. Hard to say anything negative about coach Snyder after all he’s done for KSU, but please, upgrade the darn schedule. I know, they’ve already dropped the home-&-home w/Oregon, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Miami (FL) and Va-Tech dumped, too. Soon, they’ll have to play OU and Texas every year but that’s no excuse for scheduling Central Cupcake and Directional State. I understand why that scheduling philosophy was in place in 1989-93, but there’s no reason for it now. If you’re a division one, BCS school, play a big-time schedule. Ya can’t keep ducking Haskell Institute!
Shocking that Trammy didn’t put the OU game #1.