College Football No. 1

Tonight, college football officially began the 2009 season. College football is similar to college basketball in the fact that the players work harder and controversy in playoff decisions. In college, athletes have something to prove and tend to work a little harder than in the pro's, when they're guaranteed money. Also, the selection committee for both basketball and football has made some questionable decisions. Anyone remember Texas last year and Syracuse in 2006-2007.



Tonight, the only really notable game is No. 16 Oregon versus No. 14 Boise State. Boise State has been very successful the past six years, winning a bowl game against Oklahoma a few years back. Oregon is an up and coming team that has produced a few NFL players the past few years. Both teams are very exciting, and I'm expecting an interesting and fast paced game. Also, the game is played at Boise State, which has probably the coolest field in the NCAA.



In this post, I'm going to look at some of the most exciting games of the year, starting with day one and going until the end. To begin with, I'll start with Saturday's Minnesota at Syracuse game. Neither team is ranked, but this marks the debut of Greg Paulus as the Syracuse quarterback. With Paulus having fragile confidence after coming off of a horrible senior season at Duke, this game will probably be an indication of the season to come. I'll take the Paulus flop.



The next game that I really noticed was No. 4 USC at No. 6 Ohio State. Last year, USC won but there was some controversy at quarterback for Ohio State. This year, Terrelle Pryor is the definite starter for Ohio State and Usc is the one with some quarterback drama. Also, both teams lost key players on both sides of the ball. This game should be more competitive than last years, and I'm predicting an Ohio State victory.



Om September 19th, Texas Tech visits No. 2 Texas. Even though Texas Tech isn't rated, they're always dangerous with their spread offense and Mike Leach coaching. Last year, Texas Tech beat Texas in what was probably the game of the year and ended up keeping Texas from going to the national championship game. This should add more heat to the game, and I think that Texas should win in favorable fashion.



The next week is a little bit quiet, but I think that the game of the week is No. 12 California against No. 16 Oregon. This is a Pac-10 game that will probably have playoff implications. Both teams have been said to be over-rated, but they could easily win the Pac-10 if USC slips up. I"m taking California over Oregon, although they have the best uniforms in the country.



On October 3rd, No. 11 LSU goes to No. 13 Georgia to play in a typical SEC rivalry game. This game will probably implicate who plays Florida in the SEC final. I'm going to take Georgia in an upset because of a gut feeling I have about them and a hatred of LSU.



This concludes the first of my college football trilogy. Check back the next few days to see the next two.