Hello everyone and welcome to another exciting season of college football. This time again I will try to play “God” and predict which team will win each matchup. Sometimes I’ll be right (hopefully most of the time), and other times I will be way, way off.
The season kicked off today with #6 South Carolina spanking their rivals to the north, while it appears #24 ranked USC will do the same against Hawaii. This weeks slate of matchups features a lot of cupcake games, so don’t expect me to pick a lot of underdogs this week. Anyways without further ado here’s the first game.
Penn State at Syracuse
Syracuse
(0-0, 0-0 away)
Penn St
(0-0, 0-0 home)
So Syracuse isn’t really known for football, but Penn State is. Syracuse is a program that may be on the rise, while Penn State is serving the second of a four year suspension for the Sandusky scandal. Both programs will be fun to watch this year, but look for Penn State to carry over some momentum from last season’s 4-2 finish after an 0-2 start.
My Pick: Penn State
#1 Alabama versus Virginia Tech
(1) Alabama
(0-0, 0-0 away)
Virginia Tech
(0-0, 0-0 home)
Virginia Tech returns quarterback Logan Thomas, so that’s a positive for them. This is Alabama we’re talking about though…
My Pick: Alabama
Washington State at Auburn
Washington St
(0-0, 0-0 away)
Auburn
(0-0, 0-0 home)
I will definitely be traveling to West Yellowstone to catch my alma mater take on the Auburn Tigers. I’ve heard that the Tigers are supposed to be horrible this year, which is great news for Mike Leach and company since they need to go back home to Pullman in Week 2 to play #24 USC. It should be a good one, but look for Leach to air it out and “win the victory”.
My Pick: Washington State
#5 Georgia at #8 Clemson
(5) Georgia
(0-0, 0-0 away)
(8) Clemson
(0-0, 0-0 home)
This one should be great. This would be a BCS bowl matchup if it happened later in the season. Instead it will boost the resume of one program, while all but crushing the title hopes of another. Georgia returns quarterback Aaron Murray while Clemson returns wild quarterback Tajh Boyd. Georgia will try to replenish a defense that had 7 players taken in the 1st round, while Clemson will try to shore up their passing defense. Expect Boyd to make some electric plays in this game (with quite a few of those to Sammy Watkins), but I think that the SEC will win this matchup. It’s a cliche, but it works.
My Pick: Georgia
By the way I almost got a Clemson and a Georgia fan to ride in the car together with me. Do you realize how awkward that would have been?!
#12 LSU versus #20 TCU
(12) LSU
(0-0, 0-0 away)
(20) TCU
(0-0, 0-0 home)
For two teams that play defense well this could come down to quarterback play. LSU lost a lot of stars on defense last season, but look for quarterback Zach Mettenberger to step it up in a strong 2013 debut. TCU also returns quarterback Casey Pachall, but Devonte Fields, the 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, will be suspended for the first two games of the season. That alone could be the difference.
My Pick: LSU
#19 Boise State at Washington
(19) Boise St
(0-0, 0-0 away)
Washington
(0-0, 0-0 home)
Let’s make one thing clear. The only time I put a UW game on here is to either mock them or give myself an easy win. I should be getting one when Boise opens in the “newly renovated” Husky Stadium. The Broncos won in glorious fashion in the Las Vegas Bowl 28-26 last year against UW, and they’ll be looking at doing the same again at the start of the season. Expect them to do so again, although I will admit it could be a little tougher this time around.
My Pick: Boise State
Yes my mom did go to UW, but like all things it passes.
#22 Northwestern at California
(22) Northwestern
(0-0, 0-0 away)
California
(0-0, 0-0 home)
Both teams have high expectations for this season. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald led his wildcats to their first bowl victory in 64 years, while Cal will begin the Sonny Dykes administration. Both have good athletes, but Northwesterns wildcat duo of Trevor Siemian and Kain Colter will be too much for the Golden Bears.
My Pick: Northwestern
That wraps up my Week 1 picks. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and best of luck to all your teams this season. Except if you’re a UW fan 🙂
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Categories: NCAA Football
