On to the second week...
Fri Sept 10
Kansas Jayhawks at Coastal Carolina Chanticleers : Kansas is one of those teams that struggled against FCS teams. Coastal Carolina is no longer in the FCS, but this game will be highly reminiscent of those. COASTAL CAROLINA by 13
UTEP Miners at Boise State Broncos : Boise lost a squeaker last week. They need a big win to boost themselves, and this should be an excellent candidate. BOISE STATE by 14
Sat Sept 11
Top 25:
Mercer (FCS) Bears at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide : I hope Mercer is getting paid handsomely for this opportunity, but this is possibly the most one-sided match-up in college football history. ALABAMA by an embarrassing large margin
UAB Blazers at #2 Georgia Bulldogs : Georgia will certainly have an easier time this game than their battle against Clemson last week. GEORGIA by 23
#19 Oregon Ducks at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes : Oregon had a tough time last week against Fresno State. That convinces me that they aren't ready to face the Buckeyes. They have the talent to score in the fourth quarter to cover the national spread, but a loss is imminent. OHIO STATE by eleven
Murray State (FCS) Racers at #4 Cincinnati Bearcats : A nice easy win for the Bearcats. CINCY by 21
#6 Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones : Iowa often has trouble against their in-state rival, but after the overwhelmingly dominant performance last week, while the Cyclones struggled, I don't think they'll have a problem this year. IOWA by 13
Pittsburgh Panthers at #7 Tennessee Volunteers : Tennessee is looking at a pretty good year, if their first week is any indication. Pitt, on the other hand... TENN by 16
Alabama State (FCS) Hornets at #8 Auburn Tigers : This will be easier than facing the University of Alabama, but I don't think it'll be as satisfying. AUBURN by 20
#9 NC State Wolfpack at Mississippi State Bulldogs : The Wolfpack swept South Florida last week, but it was thought that this would be a down year for the Bulls. They get a stronger opponent in the Bulldogs. I think they will win, but it will definitely be more of a battle. NC STATE by seven
#10 Florida Gators at South Florida Bulls : Speaking of those Bulls, they don't get an easier opponent this week. FLORIDA by 20
#11 Texas A&M Aggies at Colorado Buffaloes : Two former Southwest Conference teams face each other, and it won't go well for the home team. TEXAS A&M by 16
#12 Texas Longhorns at Arkansas Razorbacks : Another Texas team who should have a smooth victory over a former frequent opponent. TEXAS by 17
Toledo Rockets at #13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : The Irish required overtime to pull out a victory over Florida State, but they won't need extra time this week. IRISH by 20
Southern Illinois (FCS) Salukis at #14 Kansas State Wildcats : Now this is the typical sort of non-conference opponent for the Wildcats. K STATE by 24
Stanford Cardinal at #15 USC Trojans : Prior to last week, I would have picked Stanford for this game. After the collapse of the Cardinal last week, I can't do that. If Stanford has identified and worked out some of their problems, this might be close, but I think it'll take a few weeks for Stanford to iron out all of their issues. USC by eleven
Stephen F Austin (FCS) Lumberjacks at #16 Texas Tech Red Raiders : Another easy win for a Top 25 Texas school. TEXAS TECH by 24
Youngstown State (FCS) Penguins at #17 Michigan State Spartans : The Penguins will get a chilling reception at East Lansing. MICHIGAN STATE by 20
Washington Huskies at #18 Michigan Wolverines : Washington fell apart last week, while Michigan really showed spark. Can Coach Harbaugh keep that up this week? MICHIGAN by eight
Ball State Cardinals at #20 Penn State Nittany Lions : We might see as many offensive miscues by the Cardinals this week, but these are likely to be caused, at least in part, but the Nittany Lions defense. PENN STATE by 17
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at #21 Virginia Tech Hokies : Never underestimate Middle Tennessee's tenaciousness on the field, but I don't think they really have a chance here. VIRGINIA TECH by 18
Bethune-Cookman (FCS) Wildcats at #22 UCF Golden Knights : The Knights struggled a bit last week, but this game should be a breeze. UCF by 20
#23 Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Syracuse Orange : It's going to be a long season for Syracuse, and the Knights get to start their season strong. RUTGERS by 21
Western Carolina (FCS) Catamounts at #24 Oklahoma Sooners : The Sooners struggled to win last week. This week will be much easier. OKLAHOMA by 23
#25 Appalachian State Mountaineers at Miami Hurricanes : How pathetic did Miami look last week? How about the fact that I consider them an underdog here? APPALACHIAN STATE by seven
Big Ten:
Illinois Fighting Illini at Virginia Cavaliers : Virginia had a good game last week, while Illinois got beat by UTSA. That doesn't bode well for the Illini here. VIRGINIA by 11
Miami Ohio RedHawks at Minnesota Golden Gophers : Minnesota showed their offensive firepower last week against the Buckeyes, and it will be on display this week. MINNESOTA by 16
Indiana State (FCS) Sycamores at Northwestern Wildcats : Northwestern looked absolutely atrocious last week, but at least they have an easy opponent this week as they try to fix their problems. NORTHWESTERN by 13
Purdue Boilermakers at UConn Huskies : The Huskies lost their coach after last week's loss. What could happen when they lose this week? PURDUE by 16
Buffalo Bulls at Nebraska Cornhuskers : Nebraska continues to struggle, while Buffalo is challenging for the MAC title. This will definitely not play out like it might have five or six years ago. BUFFALO by 12
Eastern Michigan Broncos at Wisconsin Badgers : The Badgers can return to their winning ways, so long as they can hold onto the ball. WISCONSIN by 13
Idaho Vandals at Indiana Hoosiers : Indiana's offense was very subdued last week. It should be more active, as Idaho doesn't have much of a defense. INDIANA by 20
Howard (FCS) Bison at Maryland Terrapins : Easy win for the Terps. MARYLAND by 23
Other Games of Interest
Air Force Falcons at Navy Midshipmen : An early game to determine the winner of the Commander-in-Chief's trophy, the Falcons should prevail over a Navy team that seemed stuck in port last week. AIR FORCE by 14
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