College Football Picks Week 1

It's the first college football Saturday of the year and I couldn't be happier. However, it is the first weekend of the year, which means there are a lot of boring games. There are a lot of cupcakes on a lot of teams schedules. Fortunately, teams, or rather athletic directors have learned that a big week 1 match-up can equal great ratings so there are a few good ones. Like:


#3 Oregon vs #4 LSU at Cowboy Stadium
This is the big match-up of the weekend as two national championship contenders put their season on the line. Fortunately, a loss here doesn't keep ether team out of the BCS Championship, it just means they have to win out for the rest of the season. Does Oregon shrug off the close defeat that Auburn handed them 9 months ago and can they get the SEC monkey off their back? Or will Les Miles  crazed antics and generally outstanding defense step up? Oregon returns a lot of starters on a high powered offense that chewed through everyone (except Auburn) last year but a lot of their power comes from wearing teams out, and I don't know if they can weaken LSU's defense enough. On the plus side for them, LSU's offense was terrible when they HAD starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson, and they won't have him do to the fact that he can't stop beating up strangers. So LSU will go with backup Jarret Lee. LSU's defense is going to keep this a low scoring game, but they just aren't going to be able to score enough points to get the win. I give this to Oregon, 24-13.

Akron at #18 Ohio State
That Ohio State is ranked at the start of the year fills me with a level of hate rarely seen before. I don't understand why anyone thinks this will be a very good team this year. By now, if you follow college football you know all about Jim Tressell and Terrell Pryor and the other suspended players. There is just now way for a team for a team to come back from all those losses. Fortunately, this is one of those cupcake games I was talking about at the start of this article. Akron is not going to put up the biggest fight in the world, but I think the Zips make this more surprising than people will give them credit for. I'm not predicting a win, but I wouldn't put money on Ohio State to cover the spread.

Western Michigan at Michigan
Cupcake. Michigan wins. Big. I have a lot of faith in Brady Hoke and the new coaching staff for U of M and this is our first chance to see them in action. I know that quarterback Denard Robinson is not the most ideal quarterback to run Hoke's generally more pro-style offense, but any coach who can't win with old Shoelace doesn't deserve to be coaching. I'm looking for a big improvement on the defensive side of the ball this year. I'm not going to say that U of M will win the B1G (or Big 10) this year, but I think you will see a better team than we have the last three years. U of M wins this one in style. This is my STONE COLD LOCK OF THE CENTURY. OF THE WEEK!

#5 Boise State at #19 Georgia
This is the other big match-up of the day. I guess this is a game. I have no interest in either team, but it is a big game for the teams involved. Whoever wins gets entered into the National Championship conversation for the rest of the year (or until they lose). Unless this is a blow-out, no one is going to be talking about this game all that much, which is kind of a shame, but then again, I don't give a shit about it either, so what am I complaining about? What? You want a prediction? Okay, Boise State 73-25. I don't think that will actually happen, but it is a prediction. DO NOT PUT MONEY ON THIS GAME BASED ON MY PREDICTION!