Week 2 Preview

     A great week one has everyone excited for the season, and week two will be even better. There are multiple key games this week from each conference, so I will break down this weeks games, conference by conference.

ACC

     The Contenders: Pittsburgh at Boston College

                               South Carolina State at Clemson

                               Georgia Tech at Tulane

                               Murray State at Louisville

                               Florida A&M at Miami (FL)

                               Richmond at Virginia

                               Duke at Troy

                               The Citadel at Florida State

                               San Diego State at North Carolina

                               Virginia Tech at Ohio State

     As early in the season as we are, there are still a ton of contenders in the unpredictable ACC. Despite a rough opening performance against Oklahoma State, Florida State is still the heavy favorite to win the conference. Jameis Winston will get a chance to get back on track this week  against The Citadel, who won't be able to handle what the Seminoles have to offer. The other two contenders in the Atlantic are Louisville and Clemson, who are both ranked teams, that would be favorites to win the Coastal, but are underdogs behind FSU. Both teams are facing FCS schools, that will provide an easy win to help improve their team chemistry. As for the Coastal division, I have all seven teams as contenders. Nobody knows who will come out of the Coastal as champ, and if its anything like last year, the top team will change weekly. Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia, North Carolina and Duke will all get easy wins against lesser opponents. Virginia Tech has a tough task, going on the road to Columbus to face Ohio State, who is still one of the nations top teams. I think that the Hokies defense will keep the game close, but Ohio State will pull it out in the end. Pittsburgh should be able to get another win in their conference opening game tonight against Boston College. I have to put Pitt on upset alert, as Boston College is a conference opponent who won convincingly in its first game, but Pitt should win in the end.

Week 2 Predictions: Pittsburgh-38, Boston College-21

                                Clemson-45, South Carolina State-14

                                Georgia Tech-34, Tulane-24

                                Louisville-48, Murray State-6

                                Miami-31, Florida A&M-10

                                Virginia-28, Richmond-0

                                Duke-35, Troy-10

                                Florida State-70, The Citadel-7

                                North Carolina-45, San Diego State-24

                                Ohio State-24, Virginia Tech-21

Big 12

     The Contenders: Oklahoma at Tulsa

                               Kansas State at Iowa State

                               Missouri State at Oklahoma State

                               Northwestern State at Baylor

                               BYU at Texas

                               Texas Tech at UTEP

     The Big 12 contenders all have extremely winnable games in week two except for Texas. The conference's top ranked team goes on the road to Tulsa, where Trevor Knight looks to improve on his solid season opening game. As long as the Sooners can continue their balanced attack, they should be fine. Kansas State looked great to start the season, and their opponent, Iowa State is coming off of a loss to FCS foe North Dakota State, and hasn't beaten Kansas State in over nine years. Oklahoma State and Baylor both face FCS schools. Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty suffered two cracks in his back in week one, but should be ready to go on Saturday, although they shouldn't need him for more than one half. Texas Tech struggled against Central Arkansas in its opener, and will need to improve quickly in time to be ready for its Big 12 play. A road game against UTEP will be a good test for them this week. I think that Kliff Kingsbury will have his Raiders ready to go on Saturday night. The only team with an actual test this week is Texas. The Longhorns will take on a BYU team that was able to run for over 500 yards against Texas a year ago. The defense in Austin has improved greatly, and this year they will have their home crowd behind them, but the one thing Texas won't have is their top signal caller under center. David Ash suffered a head injury against North Texas last week, meaning backup Tyrone Swoopes will get the start. Nobody really knows how good Swoopes will be, but with the Longhorns solid running game, and a team thirsty for revenge, Swoopes shouldn't have to play great to get the win.

Week 2 Predictions: Oklahoma-42, Tulsa-13

                                Kansas State-38, Iowa State-17

                                Oklahoma State-52, Missouri State-13

                                Baylor-63, Northwestern State-7

                                Texas-34, BYU-31

                                Texas Tech-34, UTEP-28

Big 10

     The Contenders: McNeese State at Nebraska

                               Akron at Penn State

                               Western Illinois at Wisconsin

                               Middle Tennessee at Minnesota

                               Ball State at Iowa

                               Michigan State at Oregon

                               Michigan at Notre Dame

                               Virginia Tech at Ohio State

     There are three games that people will be looking at in the East this week. In the West, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa all face easy opponents, as well as Penn State in the East. The three key games are Ohio State against Virginia Tech, Oregon against Michigan State, and Michigan against Notre Dame. College gameday will be in Eugene awaiting the biggest non-conference game of the season as one of the nations top defenses will take on one of the best offenses. All the hype is weather or not Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota will be able to handle the physicality of Michigan State's defense. Michigan State will need production from its offense, and I think that Jeremy Langford is up for the task. Ohio State's new quarterback J.T. Barrett will get his first real test against an extremely underrated Virginia Tech defense. I think he will have all sorts of trouble, and Ohio State will prove that they aren't real playoff contenders any more, but they should be able to grind out the win. Michigan and Notre Dame will play the final chapter of one of college footballs most historic rivalries this week in South Bend. Notre Dame has quarterback Everett Golson back, and their offense looked great in week one. Michigan's offense was also solid in their opener. At the end of the day, it all comes down to which team commits fewer turnovers, and  think the Golson will do a better job under pressure at his home stadium and bring home the win for the Irish.

Week 2 Predictions: Nebraska-48, McNeese State-20

                                Penn State-38, Akron-24

                                Wisconsin-52, Western Illinois-0

                                Minnesota-42, Middle Tennessee-17

                                Iowa-28, Ball State-10

                                Michigan State-31, Oregon-24

                                Notre Dame-38, Michigan-34

                                Ohio State-24, Virginia Tech-21

Pac-12

     The Contenders: Eastern Washington at Washington

                               USC at Stanford

                               Michigan State at Oregon

                               Arizona State at New Mexico

                               Memphis at UCLA

     The two biggest games of the week both feature Pac-12 schools. The other contenders in the conference should get wins. Arizona State's offense looked great in its opener, and will continue to do the same against New Mexico. UCLA will need a better game from its offense than it had a week ago, but against a much lesser defense, that shouldn't be a problem. Washington looked terrible in its game against Hawaii, and won'y look great this week either, but will get a win. Oregon is being considered by many as a national championship contender, but with their recent struggles against physical defenses, I won't believe it until I see it. The first conference game in the Pac-12 is between USC and Stanford. This game is key for both teams, as they are both contenders to win and are looking for early season momentum. They both had dominant wins in week one, and they should play a tightly contested game this week. In the end, I think that Stanford's running game is still too strong, and they will pull out a close win.

Week 2 Predictions: Washington-38, Eastern Washington-28

                                Stanford-28, USC-24

                                Michigan State-31, Oregon-24

                                Arizona State-52, New Mexico-24

                                UCLA-35, Memphis-3

Week 2 Top 25

     Many of the top teams struggled in week one, while others dominated cupcake teams. There isn't too much change at the very top, but if week one was any indicator, this season could be a great one.

25. Missouri-The Tigers won their opening game 38-18 against South Dakota State. Missouri came out of the gate running, taking an early 21-3 lead. After the big lead early they would let South Dakota State get back into it, but would eventually hold on to win. Missouri doesn't drop out of the rankings since they won, but they were very unimpressive, so I won't move them up.

24. Louisville-The Cardinals opened the season with a solid performance against Miami, winning 38-13. They started the game slow, but were able to come back and win convincingly. If Louisville continues to play like this, then they should be able to play just as good as last year, even with a new coach and quarterback.

23. Texas-The Longhorns won big in their opener against North Texas. North Texas isn't the best team in the country, but Texas was missing multiple starters, while also breaking in a new head coach, and they still won 38-7.

22. North Carolina-The Tar Heels started off horribly, leading just 21-15 at halftime against Liberty. After giving up a score to go down 22-21, they would score 28 unanswered to end the third quarter. They would eventually win 56-29, showing that they really can be a great team when they try.

21. South Carolina-The Gamecocks were clearly not prepared for Kenny Hill and Texas A&M in week one. Their defense came out looking slow, and couldn't stop the passing game. They also relied to heavily on the deep ball. South Carolina had a few deep touchdown passes, but had many incomplete passes trying to go long. They should still be able to compete for the SEC East, but this was a tough loss.

20. Wisconsin-The Badgers were dominating LSU through most of the game on Saturday night. They took a 24-7 lead in the third quarter before Les Miles pulled off a fake punt, completely changing the momentum of the game. Wisconsin would blow the lead and lose 28-24. They are still one of the most talented teams in the Big 10, and with such a soft schedule, they will rise back up in the rankings.

19. Texas A&M-The Aggies took the world by storm on Thursday night. New quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 511 yards, more than Manziel ever had at A&M. Their offense showed that they are ready to compete with the top teams in the SEC. If they keep playing like this, they will be top ten soon.

18. Nebraska-The Huskers won 55-7 over Florida Atlantic in the season opener. The offense looked great, while the defense did enough to win. They played exactly how most people expected them to. Nebraska should be fine until their week four game against Miami, when they face their first true test of the season.

17. Kansas State-The Wildcats won 55-16 in their first game against SF Austin this weekend. Their offense proved that they should be able to compete with the best in the Big 12. If they can beat Auburn, they should be able to take the conference.

16. Notre Dame-Everett Golson was fantastic in his return for the Irish. He threw for 295 yards and two scores while also running for 41 yards and three touchdowns. The Irish won 48-17 against a Rice team that was clearly outplayed. If Notre Dame can play like that against better competition, they could be in competition for the first playoffs.

15. Arizona State-The Sun Devils won their opening game 45-14 on Thursday night against Weber State. Their offense looked great, and the home field advantage was effective as always. Arizona State is a very underrated team in the Pac-12.

14. Ohio State-J.T. Barrett did what he needed to do in the season opener against Navy. Ohio State struggled early, but was able to grind out a 34-17 win. Barrett finished the game 12/15 for 226 yards, two scores and one interception, while also running for 50 yards on nine carries. Ohio State is clearly not the same team without Braxton Miller, but they should still have a solid season.

13. Ole Miss-The Rebels defense shined in their season opening 35-13 win over Boise State. Quarterback Bo Wallace struggled with his decision making early, but recovered finishing the game with 387 yards and four touchdowns, while also throwing three picks. Defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche had a great game, leading the defensive line to a solid game. They are one of the many solid teams in the SEC West.

12. USC-Despite multiple distracting off the field events over the last week, USC was still able to destroy Fresno State 52-13 on Saturday night. Fresno State showed that is not the same team as last year, and USC showed that they are back. USC has one of its toughest games of the season coming up now this week.

11. LSU-LSU came from behind to get a huge win over Wisconsin in the opening game. Quarterback Anthony Jennings had a good first game, throwing for 239 yards and two scores while running back Kenny Hilliard ran for 110 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers had a great second half comeback, sparked by a classic Les Miles fake punt call. LSU will need to continue to be lucky if they want to get through this season.

10. Georgia-Todd Gurley and the Bulldogs had a great game against Clemson. Gurley ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns, while also taking a kick 100 yards for a score in the late first half. After heading into the break tied at 21, Georgia completely dominated the second half. Georgia has a week off now before facing another test against South Carolina.

9. Stanford-The Cardinal won big in their opening game against UC Davis, shutting them out 45-0. Kevin Hogan had a good game, throwing for 204 yards and three touchdowns. It was running back by committee for Stanford who had ten different players with at least one carry, totaling 149 yards and a touchdown on 32 runs. Stanford might be shying away from its typical run first style this season.

8. Michigan State-Michigan State's defense was ready to go in their 45-7 season opening win against Jacksonville State. Quarterback Connor Cook was injured in the first quarter, but it wasn't serious. He would go on to throw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. The defense was solid all night, with defensive end Shilique Calhoun playing great, even if he only recorded one sack.

7. UCLA-The Bruins offense struggled in the opener. They pulled out a 28-20 win, but the offense was only able to score one touchdown the entire game. After a scoreless first quarter, the defense would score three touchdowns in the second quarter, two on pick sixes and one on a scoop and score fumble. If UCLA wants to move up in the rankings and win games this season, the offense will need to improve on its first performance.

6. Baylor-Bryce Petty looked great before going down with a back injury. Luckily for Petty it wasn't a serious injury and he will be ready to go next week. They were able to win 45-0 against an SMU team that is better than most people think.Baylor moves up, but still isn't the top ranked team in the Big 12.

5. Oklahoma-The Sooners were solid in their opener, winning 48-16 against Louisiana Tech. Quarterback Trevor Knight had a less than perfect night, while still playing fairly well, showing that he is good but not great, throwing for 253 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Oklahoma isn't as good as some people think, but until they lose they will stay in the top ten.

4. Oregon-The Ducks played very well in their 62-13 season opening win against South Dakota. They were hot early, scoring 21 points in the first quarter, with quarterback Marcus Mariota throwing for 267 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 43 yards and another score. The Oregon offense as a whole accounted for 673 yards of total offense, while having a solid game defensively as well. It was a great warm up for their offense, who now had to play one of the nations top defenses next week in one of the biggest non-conference games of the season.

3. Auburn-The Tigers were struggling against Arkansas in the first half, as the game was tied at 21 at the half. The Tigers decided to put Nick Marshall back in in the second half after suspending him in the first. Marshall made some great plays, leading the team to a 45-21 win.

2. Alabama-The Tide looked really bad in their opener against West Virginia. They were able to pull out a win, but they only won 33-23, and they looked flat. It didn't look like a Nick Saban coached team. They will stay number two for now because they are still Alabama, but they could get jumped if they keep playing like this.

1. Florida State-Jameis Winston had a below average game to say the least. He did throw for 370 yards, but he also threw a career high two interceptions in in the first half alone. Florida State as a whole looked bad, although Oklahoma State deserves some credit. The Cowboys had a solid performance against Florida State's defense, although the Seminoles should have handled it a little better. Florida State will be number one as long as they keep winning, and I expect them to get better as time goes on, and win another ACC title.

Top 25 Preview: 1. Florida State Seminoles

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I have released an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams. Now, I bring you the final season preview: #1 Florida State.

2013 Review

     Florida State came into 2013 ranked #11. They had a ton of talent, but an Freshman quarterback who didn't have much experience. The Freshman started his first career game by completing 25 of 27 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns, leading the team to a 41-13 win over Pittsburgh. Jameis Winston would continue to light up opposing defenses all season. Florida State would roll through the next three games against Nevada, Bethune-Cookman and Boston College, before facing their first ranked opponent of the year. On October 5th, the Seminoles destroyed undefeated 25th ranked Maryland 63-0, putting themselves on the map. The next week they were on gameday, getting ready to face the favorite in the ACC on the road against #3 Clemson. This was the game that thrust Jameis Winston into the lead for the Heisman, as he threw for 444 yards and three touchdowns, leading his team to a 51-14 win. They would continue to roll through everyone else, including a 41-14 win over then #7 Miami to finish a perfect 12-0 season, and go into the ACC Championship ranked #1 in the country. They would beat Duke 45-7 in the ACC title, and then come back from down big to win 34-31 against Auburn in the National Championship. They had one of the most impressive stats of the season, as they outscored the five ranked teams they faced through the season 234-66.

Season Outlook

     It is hard to improve on a season in which you won a national championship and had a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, but Florida State might be even better this season. Jameis Winston will be returning for his second season, and the talent he has around him is improved from a year ago. They open the season on ABC's prime time game, with gameday coming to town, as the face Oklahoma State. After an easy win over The Citadel in week two, they have their conference opener against Clemson, who won't be anywhere as much of a challenge as they were last year, and based on the game last year, they won't struggle to win. They then have three very winnable games against NC State, Wake Forest and Syracuse, before back to back tough games against Notre Dame and Louisville. After an easy win over Virginia, they face both Miami and Florida in two of their last three games, with Boston College in between the two. Florida State has a much tougher schedule then last season, but they should be able to roll through every opponent, as long as Winston remains healthy, and if he can, I don't see how Florida State would enter the postseason not ranked #1.

Season Prediction

12-0 (9-0) 1st in ACC Atlantic

Top 25 Preview: 2. Alabama Crimson Tide

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day until the season starts. The preview continues with #2 Alabama.

2013 Review

     The Tide were the two time defending champions and were ranked #1 in the country week one. They opened the year with a dominate 35-10 win over Virginia Tech, followed by a high scoring 49-42 revenge victory over Texas A&M. Alabama would continue to roll through the season with a dominate defense, winning eleven straight games, giving less than 10 points in nine of them. Alabama was 11-0 and still ranked #1 in the nation going into the rivalry against Auburn. They would battle back and attempt a 50 yard game winning field goal as time expired. The field goal would fall short and Auburn's Chris Davis would return it 109 yards for a touchdown, ending Alabama's national title hopes in seconds. Alabama would have to settle for a Sugar Bowl bid where Nick Saban's team came unprepared and lost 45-31 to Oklahoma.

Season Outlook

     Alabama is ranked #2 this year, but the goal and prediction stays the same. They are still expected to win the SEC and make the playoffs. They will open the season with three easy wins against West Virginia, Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss. before their conference opener against a much improved Florida. After back to back road games against Ole Miss and Arkansas, the Tide host Texas A&M followed by back to back road games against Tennessee and LSU. They will end the season with three straight home games against Mississippi State, Western Carolina and Auburn. The Iron Bowl against Auburn will be a classic no matter what the result, but I think that Nick Saban will have his team ready to take down the defending SEC champions to lock up a spot in the first ever playoffs.

Season Prediction

12-0 (8-0) 1st in SEC West

Top 25 Preview: 3. Auburn Tigers

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day until the season starts. The preview continues with #3 Auburn.

2013 Review

     Auburn had a new head coach, coming off of a 3-9 season and a winless conference record. They were expected to do better, although most people didn't give them a chance against the likes of Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M in the SEC West. The Tigers would open the season with three wins against Washington State, Arkansas State, and Mississippi State, before losing to LSU. The LSU sparked something as Auburn would go on to win all of their last eight games, with four of them coming against ranked opponents. The last two games of Auburn's regular season were classics, starting with a hail mary touchdown pass at the last second to beat Georgia 43-38, followed by what will go down as one of the most iconic moments in college football history, when Chris Davis returned an Alabama missed field goal 109 yards with no time on the clock for a 34-28 Auburn win. The memorable "kick six" would send Auburn to the SEC Championship game, where they used their unstoppable run game to beat Missouri 59-42. Winning the SEC championship was enough to push the Tigers into the final BCS National Championship game, where they would blow an early lead and fall 34-31 to Florida State.

Season Outlook

     Auburn won't be surprising anyone this season, although if their offense can run as effectively as it did last year, they should be fine. They open the season with a conference battle against Arkansas, before an easy win over San Jose State. Their third game will be a key Thursday night non-conference match-up on the road against Kansas State.  After an easy win over Louisiana Tech, Auburn will have to take on LSU, who was the only team to beat the Tigers last year. After another win against Mississippi State, they will face five preseason ranked teams in their last six games, with home games against South Carolina, Texas A&M and Samford, and road games against Ole Miss, Georgia and Alabama, which could be the most hyped regular season game in history. Auburn will have another great year, but I don't think that they will be able to win the SEC again.

Season Prediction

11-1 (7-1) 2nd in SEC West

Top 25 Preview: 4. Oregon Ducks

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day until the season starts. The preview continues with #4 Oregon.

2013 Review

     Oregon was again projected to be a championship contender last year. They had another great team of speed, and were able to score points at will, scoring 42 or more points in each of their first eight games, including wins against Washington and UCLA. November 7th was the biggest Thursday night in college football's history, as there were two games that would define the season. Where Baylor destroyed Oklahoma in one of them, Oregon would try and mount a comeback against Stanford with quarterback Marcus Mariota slowed with an injury. Oregon wouldn't be able to complete the comeback, falling short 26-20, but their conference title hopes were still in tact. After a dominate bounce back performance against Utah, they would see all of their BCS hopes destroyed when they lost 42-16 on the road against Arizona. The Ducks would finish the season with a win over Oregon State to end with a record of 10-2. They would also receive a bid to face Texas in the Alamo Bowl, where they won 30-7.

Season Outlook

     Oregon should be near or at the top of both the Pac-12 and the country this year, as Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota returns at quarterback. He could have been a top five pick in the draft, but instead decided to play one more season for the Ducks, to try and win a championship. Oregon opens the season at home against South Dakota on Saturday night, which should be a blow out, but week two will have Michigan State come to town. If Oregon can handle an early season test against Michigan State, then they should be able to handle their Pac-12 schedule. After easy wins against Wyoming and Washington State, they will have their revenge on Arizona followed by tough mid-season tests against UCLA and Washington. After another easy win against Cal, the Ducks will host Stanford, the only team the Oregon struggles with year in and year out. After Stanford, the Ducks will breeze through the last three games against Utah, Colorado and Oregon State. Oregon is one of the top teams in the nation again, and this year could be the year that they make the playoffs.

Season Prediction

11-1 (9-0) 1st in Pac-12 North

Top 25 Preview: 5. UCLA Bruins

     To build excitement for the upcoming season, I will be releasing an individual team preview for each of my top 25 teams every day until the season starts. The preview continues with #5 UCLA.

2013 Review

     UCLA was ready to be the top in the Pac-12 South a year ago. Early in the season, they looked great, winning each of their first five games, including a huge 41-21 comeback win on the road against Nebraska. Their perfect season came in doubt when the faced back to back road games against the North's top teams, in which they lost 24-10 to Stanford, and 42-12 to Oregon. They would bounce back with three straight wins over Arizona, Washington and Colorado, before their chances of winning the Pac-12 South were ended in a 38-33 loss to Arizona State. They would still be able to end the year with a big win over rival USC to finish with a solid 9-3 record. They would also roll over Virginia Tech 42-14 in the Sun Bowl.

Season Outlook

     Quarterback Brett Hundley decided to pass up on being a first round draft pick to stay for his Senior season. Hundley's return means that UCLA should be even better than last year. They bring back a ton of talent and the schedule is a lot softer, with most of its tough games coming at home. They open the year on the road against Virginia, and after an easy game against Memphis, they have to face Texas on a neutral field, followed by a road game with Arizona State. They then have back to back home games against Utah and Oregon. If they can get the home upset over Oregon, the Bruins will be known by everyone, as a solid contender. After the Oregon game, they have three easy opponents in Cal, Colorado, and Arizona. They will end the season with a tough three game stretch with a road game against Washington, followed by home games against Stanford and USC. UCLA has a ton of talent and should be able to win at least ten games.

Season Prediction

11-1 (8-1) 1st in Pac-12 South