Saturday, September 03, 2011

College Football Week 1 Picks

Welcome to another exciting College Football Year. Here's hoping for as much excitement of Fri.'s game between TCU and Baylor. (I know this is late but I want to get back into this).

LSU vs. Oregon (Dallas)
Draper:
The suspensions will prove very costly for the Bayou Bengals but 400 year old backup Jarrett Lee will prove serviceable. LSU will hang around with raw talent and relatively weak Duck defense (not to mention the virtual home crowd), but Oregon will prove too much late by keeping the tempo high for 60 minutes. LSU: 25--Oregon: 31

Boise St. vs. Georgia (Atlanta)
Draper:
Boise is not the same team as last year. Kellen Moore is a definite game changer, but losses of Titus Young and Austin Pettis will really hurt the Bronco attack and lead to more fields rather than TDs--FGs won't be enough. Georgia is in a do-or-die year and I expect the usual 8-9 win campaign but a great start with an upset over Boise will help Richt keep his job. Boise St: 23--UGA: 27

Akron @ Ohio St.
Draper:
The Buckeyes just look to get back to football and get away from the off-field troubles. I expect Fickell to have the team laser-focused on football and that's bad news for the hapless Zips. The additional suspensions of Hall, Howard, and Brown would hurt...if it wasn't Akron. Look for a simple solid game from Bauserman (Krenzel-esque) and Carlos Hyde and Rod Smith to show that the dropoff from RB 1 to RB 3-4 is not too steep. They will make their statement early. The Bullets will make this a statement by using the chip on their shoulders to knock the head off the Zips. GO BUCKS! Akron: 13--OSU: 41

Upset Special: Draper: USF over Notre Dame