Ole Miss Is Whats Wrong With the SEC Schedule

And, by extension, the schedules for 12-team conferences.  Nothing you haven't heard in this space before obviously, but (full schedule):

--- Only five road games

--- Don't have to play Georgia or Florida

--- Non-conference games with Memphis, Southeast Louisiana, UAB, Northern Arizona

The Rebels could be entirely average this year and still come out with an impressive record.  The eyes can deceive but with a schedule like that its great that so many college games are now televised and we can judge teams on actual performance rather than their gerrymandered schedules.  Or, at least, we hope we can.  You never know with poll voters, unfortunately.

Opening Day Thoughts?

Fire away in the comments below.

Things weren't the most exciting today aside from the Oregon State/Stanford matchup.  ESPN needs to stop scheduling teams with quarterback issues for its marquee Thursday game.  That's two years in a row that an SEC quarterback wet the bed on national television on opening Thursday's big game.

Last year Mississippi State's Michael Henig all but handed the ball six times to the LSU defense.  South Carolina's Tommy Beecher wasn't much better this year in tossing four picks into the belly of the North Carolina State defense.  His replacement rallied the team to a 34-0 shutout that looked nothing like it was scored.

Another quarterback from South Dakota State tossed at least five interceptions tonight.

Stanford's bear of a tailback Toby Gerhart was impressive.  For a big guy he's got some wheels and had a nice season with the Stanford baseball team this year which the broadcasters were quick to remind tonight.

Is Stanford rising?

Did Buffalo really destroy UTEP 42-17? Wow.

Thumbs up to Georgia Tech, thumbs down to Ryan Perilloux.

Thumbs down to the NCAA's prohibition against "Kickoff/Preseason Classic" type games.  College football does itself no favors with less than compelling matchups on the Thursday before the big Saturday.  The conferences and broadcasters should be getting together with the schools to patch together a fair process to pair two or four quality teams in interesting Thursday night games.

Almost Here: Spring Football

Rivals.com has the goods for all but a handful of TBD's (Updated link)

Notable:

Alabama starts Feburary 24th 

Texas starts on February 27th 

Defending National Champion LSU starts spring ball on March 4th, as does Georgia

Michigan starts March 18th 

Oklahoma starts March 20th

USC starts March 21st, as does Florida

Notre Dame begins March 22nd

Ohio State starts March 29th 

(H/T: EDSBS) 

The Complete List: 2007 D-IA vs Non-DIA Games

Thanks to reader Matthew Edmunson who sent this along:

I have looked high and low for a complete Non-conference Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) game schedule and a schedule listing the games between the Division I Bowl Subdivision and Division I Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA), but couldn't find anything on the web. 

So, I used Peter Wolfe's info, and wrote some code to output the schedule from it.  I am pretty sure it is accurate, but it would be nice if you could post it on your site and allow it the scrutiny of your readership to make sure there is nothing missing or inaccurate.  Do with it what you want, and let me know if you find anything wrong on it.   We should thank Peter Wolfe for the original data.

Neutral and Semi-neutral games are also treated specially, as they are listed as "vs" and the location of the game is given, and it is based on his original list.  Certain games, like "Minnesota vs Florida Atlantic in Miami FL", is slightly confusing, being as FAU (Boca Raton, FL) is much closer to Miami than the University of Minnesota, but I still left it as is.

Enjoy!

Shame on all competent D-IA members who grace the list below.
***
Division I Bowl Subdivision versus Division I Championship Subdivison Schedule

30-Aug-07: Weber St at Boise St
30-Aug-07: SE Missouri St at Cincinnati
30-Aug-07: Murray St at Louisville
30-Aug-07: SE Louisiana St at New Mexico St

1-Sep-07: South Carolina St at Air Force
1-Sep-07: Western Carolina at Alabama
1-Sep-07: Western Kentucky at Florida
1-Sep-07: Sacramento St at Fresno St
1-Sep-07: Northern Colorado at Hawai`i
1-Sep-07: Indiana St at Indiana
1-Sep-07: Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
1-Sep-07: Central Arkansas at Louisiana Tech
1-Sep-07: Villanova at Maryland
1-Sep-07: Appalachian St at Michigan
1-Sep-07: James Madison at North Carolina
1-Sep-07: Northeastern at Northwestern
1-Sep-07: Youngstown St at Ohio State
1-Sep-07: Gardner-Webb at Ohio U.
1-Sep-07: Nicholls St at Rice
1-Sep-07: Elon at South Florida
1-Sep-07: Tennessee-Martin at Southern Miss
1-Sep-07: Montana St at Texas A&M
1-Sep-07: Richmond at Vanderbilt

8-Sep-07: Northern Arizona at Arizona
8-Sep-07: Rhode Island at Army
8-Sep-07: Maine at Connecticut
8-Sep-07: Samford at Georgia Tech
8-Sep-07: Cal Poly SLO at Idaho
8-Sep-07: Western Illinois at Illinois
8-Sep-07: Northern Iowa at Iowa St
8-Sep-07: SE Louisiana St at Kansas
8-Sep-07: Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois
8-Sep-07: Grambling St at Pittsburgh
8-Sep-07: Eastern Illinois at Purdue

15-Sep-07: Alcorn St at Alabama-Birmingham
15-Sep-07: Texas St-San Marcos at Baylor
15-Sep-07: Furman at Clemson
15-Sep-07: Western Carolina at Georgia
15-Sep-07: Missouri St at Kansas St
15-Sep-07: Delaware St at Kent St
15-Sep-07: McNeese St at Louisiana-Lafayette
15-Sep-07: New Hampshire at Marshall
15-Sep-07: Jacksonville St at Memphis
15-Sep-07: Nicholls St at Nevada
15-Sep-07: Wofford at North Carolina St
15-Sep-07: Idaho St at Oregon St
15-Sep-07: Norfolk St at Rutgers
15-Sep-07: South Carolina St at South Carolina
15-Sep-07: The Citadel at Wisconsin

20-Sep-07: Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee St

22-Sep-07: North Dakota St at Central Michigan
22-Sep-07: Howard at Eastern Michigan
22-Sep-07: Charleston Southern at Hawai`i
22-Sep-07: Gardner-Webb at Mississippi St
22-Sep-07: Illinois St at Missouri
22-Sep-07: Sacramento St at New Mexico
22-Sep-07: Portland St at San Diego St
22-Sep-07: SE Louisiana St at Tulane
22-Sep-07: Texas Southern at UTEP
22-Sep-07: William & Mary at Virginia Tech
22-Sep-07: Central Conn St at Western Michigan

29-Sep-07: Massachusetts at Boston College
29-Sep-07: Western Kentucky at Bowling Green
29-Sep-07: Arkansas-Pine Bluff at New Mexico St
29-Sep-07: Sam Houston St at Oklahoma St
29-Sep-07: UC-Davis at San José St
29-Sep-07: Northwestern St at Texas Tech

6-Oct-07: Chattanooga vs Arkansas in Little Rock AR
6-Oct-07: Liberty at Toledo

13-Oct-07: Western Kentucky at Ball St

20-Oct-07: Eastern Washington at Brigham Young
20-Oct-07: North Dakota St at Minnesota

27-Oct-07: Delaware at Navy

3-Nov-07: Tennessee Tech at Auburn
3-Nov-07: Northwestern St at Mississippi

10-Nov-07: Grambling St at Louisiana-Monroe
10-Nov-07: Troy at Western Kentucky

17-Nov-07: Georgia Southern at Colorado St

24-Nov-07: Texas Southern at Houston
24-Nov-07: Western Kentucky at North Texas

***
UPDATE: Varsity Blue takes this one step further and discovers nonconference matchups we won't see (but should). 

Auburn On The Road

How did Auburn go from being a good team to a title contender these last few years?  There are many reasons but it's worth singling out one particular data point: road wins.

Look at Auburn's record under coach Tommy Tuberville from 2000 to 2003 for a moment.  The Tigers went:

2000: 9-3
2001: 7-4
2002: 8-4
2003: 7-5

Then, something clicked, because in the next three years, they've gone:

2004: 12-0
2005: 9-2
2006: 10-2

I don't know every reason for why this happened (many aren't quantifiable), but something stood out while flipping through my Phil Steele 2007 College Football Preview.

Here is Auburn's home record in those two time periods:

2000: 7-0
2001: 5-1
2002: 5-2
2003: 5-2

Against ...

2004: 7-0
2005: 6-1
2006: 6-2

Ignoring for the moment the fact that they're playing a majority of their seasons with seven or more home games, both splits are fairly similar.  Auburn tends to be a successful program at home.

Now, let us look at Auburn's road record in the same time period:

2000: 2-2
2001: 2-3
2002: 3-2
2003: 2-3

Against ...

2004: 4-0
2005: 3-1
2006: 4-0

Auburn is 11-1 on the road the last three seasons!  Tommy Tuberville has clearly gone from being an average coach on the road to a dominant one.  How much of that is due to a decline in road opponent strength, I don't know.  Maybe opponents have improved but Auburn's improved even more.  That analysis is for another day.  But what a trend, no?

I've singled this out because Steele is a bit down on the Tigers this year.  He has them fourth in the SEC West, ahead of only Mississippi State and Mississippi.  Pehaps Steele's onto something here, but if form holds on the road for Auburn, they're going to be part king maker, part spoiler in national championship talks.

Look at Auburn's road slate this year:

@ Florida (Sept. 29)
@ Arkansas (Oct. 13)
@ LSU (Oct. 20)
@ Georgia (Nov. 10)

I'd be shocked to see Auburn go 0-4 on the road this year, so someone or several someone's are likely to have their title shot fall at home.

Who will it be? 

Friday, Saturday

Friday

The Job Saver
(12:00 PM) Texas A&M at Texas
---Fran likely won't be fired this year, but it wouldn't hurt to get a signature win somewhere

Does the Train Derail?
(2:30 PM) LSU at Arkansas
---Arkansas is guaranteed a spot in the SEC title game but is a longshot for the national title game.  They're in a virtual no man's land.

Civil War
(3:30 PM) Oregon at Oregon State
---I think the mascots are reason enough for some people to dislike the Pac-10

Saturday

Bad Mood Game
(12:00 PM) Florida at Florida State
---Coker was just canned, Florida State just paid its offensive coordinator big bucks to go away and Florida's bitching about the BCS.

In State Battles
---Too many to name.  Gooooo State!

The Greatest Intersectional Rivalry
(8:00 PM) Notre Dame at USC
---It took the wives to get this one done. 

Saturday, Briefly

The Layup
(12:00 PM) Western Carolina at Florida
---Mmmmkay.  Toughest schedule ever, eh?

ACC, You Bore Me
(12:00 PM) Maryland at Boston College
---Where are the fierce contenders?  It's like watching crabs fight.

BCS Watchin'
(2:30 PM) Arkansas at Mississippi State
(2:30 PM) Army at Notre Dame
(3:00 PM) Utah State at Boise State
---By default they're spectators instead of the show this Saturday.

The Big One
(3:30 PM) Michigan at Ohio State
---No, it's not this century's game (sorry, Musberger), but it is big.  Really big.

Iron Bowl
(3:34 PM) Auburn at Alabama
---Funny start time, no?  Stars will fall on one of these two... probably the one with the tiger.

Apple Cup
(6:45 PM) Washington at Washington State
---In one corner they're supporting Granny Smith and in the other they're allied with the Red Delicious.

Sadly Important
(7:00 PM) Virginia Tech at Wake Forest
---Wake's a great story, but this game is so... meh.

Not Exactly Hair of the Dog That Big Ya
(7:45 PM) Rutgers at Cincinnati
---This is their hangover game after the world-beating of Louisville.  Eh.  Could use something a little more stiff.

War for the Roses
(8:00 PM) California at USC
---Last year was a dud, but both teams are at least halfway functional this year in a tightly fought series between Tedford and Carroll.  Cal hasn't forgotten their Rose Bowl snub from 2004.  Their memories are a little longer than the general public's, so that may be a quiet theme to this game as they can play their way into the game without interference by simply winning.

***
Best schedule EVER.  Use it.

***
I'll have a roundup sometime later today. 

Midweek Games

For the bored and the curious.

Hey, the season's winding down, gotta squeeze everything we can out of these last few weeks.

Tuesday
(7:00 PM) Ball State at Toledo^ESPN2

Wednesday
(7:30 PM) Miami (Oh) at Bowling Green^ESPN2

Thursday
(7:30 PM) West Virginia at Pittsburgh^ESPN
(7:30 PM) Akron at Ohio^ESPNU

Friday
(6:00 PM) Eastern Michigan at Kent State
(8:05 PM) Central Michigan at Northern Illinois^ESPNU

Saturday, Briefly

Not Packing the Same Punch
(12:30 PM) Georgia at Auburn
---All the Dawgs can do now is play spoiler.  Entertaining, but destructive in the grand scheme of things.

Rejoice! Hurricane Season's Pretty Much Over
(2:00 PM) Southern Miss at Tulane
---Counting their blessings.

In Limbo
(3:30 PM) Ohio State at Northwestern
(3:30 PM) Michigan at Indiana
---Steady drumbeat.

Vastly Overblown Spurrier Motif
(3:30 PM) South Carolina at Florida
---Papa's got a brand new bag.

Sorting Out the Mess
(3:30 PM) Nebraska at Texas A&M
---Everyone's kinda even between the top handful of teams in the Big 12, could use some sorting still.

It Could Be Okay
(6:00 PM) Boise State at San Jose State
---For a WAC game, that is. 

Something to Play For
(7:00 PM) Tennessee at Arkansas
---The Vols really don't want that third loss.  Arkansas has the home crowd and probably needs to show they're worth all the "why aren't they ranked higher" grousing.

Stroke of Midnight for Cinderella?
(8:00 PM) Wake Forest at Florida State
---We shall see...

And Down the Stretch They Come
(10:15 PM) Oregon at USC
---So does USC want its second loss now, or later?  The Trojans finish with Oregon, California and then rivals Notre Dame and UCLA.

Gunning for 80
(11:05 PM) Louisiana Tech at Hawai'i
---Why not?  The Warriors have been on a serious tear.  I think they can extend it another week and be in that 60-80 point range.

***
Pssst... use this to plot your viewing options. 

Saturday, Briefly

Wait and See
(12:00 PM) Missouri at Nebraska
(12:00 PM) Baylor at Texas Tech

The middle of the Big 12 is this ever-changing mass of a handful of teams.  Games like these have so far provided little insight into the final stratification of the conference.  Hopefully we get a little more clarity this weekend.

Jump in Class
(3:30 PM) Ohio State at Illinois

The Illini have been hot lately, making games out of theoretical blowouts against middling Big Ten squads.  Can they put on a respectable performance once again despite the jump in class?

Back to Earth
(3:30 PM) LSU at Tennessee

Since the Florida and Auburn games, we haven't heard much from LSU.  We'll see if they can improve upon their 6.5 PPG in games that matter this year.

Early December Bowl Sneak Peek
(3:30 PM) Tulsa at Houston

Fun to watch if only to get a sense of teams that dot the early bowl landscape in a few weeks.

Could Be An Upset, But Probably Not
(7:00 PM) Oklahoma State at Texas

The Cowboys have found an offense in the last few weeks and are surging.  Texas has barely gotten by in that same time period.  The last two meetings have been epic Longhorn comebacks from big deficits, is a repeat in the works?

ACC Showdowns
(7:00 PM) Boston College at Wake Forest
(7:00 PM) Georgia Tech at North Carolina State

Take what you can get, I guess.

Decent Game
(8:00 PM) Oklahoma at Texas A&M

So far, Dennis Franchione is doing a hell of a job staying employed.  A win here would send Aggie fans into a mild euphoric frenzy. 

This Weekend, Quickly

Mike Hart Should Finally Get Some Rest... Maybe
(12:00 PM) Northwestern at Michigan

---Unless the Wildcats go all 54-51 on the Wolverines.

The Rare Non-SEC Game on CBS
(12:00 PM) Notre Dame at Navy

---In B'More.  Time for some blue crabs!

Reality Check for the Tigers
(12:00 PM) Oklahoma at Missouri

---Just win, baby.

Pssst.  Place a call to Billy Graham
(12:00 PM) Michigan State at Indiana

---Er, at least one of his children seeing as how the Reverend's not traveling these days.  Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner wants to spread the (Hoosier) gospel, and keeps praying for 50,000 Hoosier fans to show up to a home game.  Here's hoping that works out.

The Brain Bowl
(1:00 PM) Vanderbilt at Duke

---Both teams are marginally better than previous seasons.

The Spirit of '67?
(3:30 PM) USC at Oregon State

---A quality USC team lost 3-0 in the rain and muck in Corvallis in 1967 and Oregon State's never forgotten the triumph.  Will there be a repeat performance?

Endorsed by O'Doul's
(3:30 PM) Georgia at Florida

---ESPN and CBS are being encouraged not to refer to this game as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.  No fun.

The Vince Young Effect
(7:00 PM) Texas at Texas Tech

---Last year this one was on ABC.

This certainly isn't the most compelling slate of games we've seen this year, but tough it out as things should improve these last few weeks.

Oh, and as always, Best Schedule EVER. 

UPDATE: I almost forgot, ESPN's College GameDay will be in South Carolina this weekend.  It's officially week four of their Tour De South.  So stop yer bitchin' SEC fans, they're no longer 'ignoring' you.

On Tap This Weekend

We can call college football games a libation, right?

Hilariously Not Available to 99% of the Residents of Columbus
(12:00 PM) Indiana at Ohio State
---Thanks, ESPNU!

Don't Confuse This for a Competitive Game
(12:00 PM) Texas at Nebraska
---Once again the Lincoln faithful are frothed up about a game this year.  Once again they'll leave the stadium with their tails between their legs.

Bad Time to be Looking Ahead
(12:00 PM) Louisville at Syracuse
---Take care of business, Cards!  Don't pre-emptively ruin what could be a great upcoming game against West Virginia.

Big Ten Offensive Machines Lock Horns
(12:00 PM) Wisconsin at Purdue
---The Badgers' offense is red hot.  Travis Beckum= OMG tight end.

Wishin' They Had a Bye Week
(12:00 PM) Illinois at Penn State
---The Illini have an actual pass rush this year.  Penn State has a handful of mortally wounded quarterbacks after last week's summary execution of their passers by Michigan.

Look Ma, Their Quarterback's a Mute!
(2:30 PM) UCLA at Notre Dame
---NBC will have plenty of time to update you on the status of speechless Bruin quarterback Patrick Cowan.  Apparently some Bruins are packin' winter gear for a game that will be in the 50's.  This isn't a January game, guys, man up.

400 Yards, Anyone?
(3:05 PM) Temple at Northern Illinois
---It'd be too little, too late for Garrett Wolfe, but it might make HP and SI's Austin Murphy accidentally prophetic.

Stay Focused
(3:30 PM) Iowa at Michigan
---Iowa has had some success against the Wolverines of late.  Michigan should win this game but they'd do themselves a favor to not overlook the Hawkeyes.

Bama Bombs, Anyone?
(3:30 PM) Alabama at Tennessee
---These schools do not like each other.  CBS smartly grabbed this one.  Time to raid the oversized Marascino and grain alcohol jar that's been sitting in my fridge for six months.

Cheerin' for the Boss, Bobby Ross
(3:30 PM) TCU at Army
---This would be a nice feather in the cap for the Army faithful after so many recent losing seasons.

Good Timing Award
(5:00 PM) Oregon at Washington State
---So the Cougars have now forced the Pac-10's three best to trek to Pullman this year: USC, California and now Oregon.

If ESPN's On it, it Must Be Good
(5:45 PM) Rutgers at Pittsburgh
---It's been a good year for the Big East, might as well hype this as most of the ACC matchups have turned into duds.

Intriguing WAC Matchup
(7:00 PM) San Jose State at Nevada
---The Spartans aren't bad... I think.  Biiiiiig fan of Dick Tomey right here.  Arizona really fumbled a good thing when they terminated him a few years ago.

Modest Upset Potential
(7:05 PM) Texas A&M at Oklahoma State
---The Aggies are coming off a big home win against previously undefeated Missouri and are feeling good about themselves.  Oklahoma State's finally found some offensive punch.

ACC Game of the Year
(7:45 PM) Georgia Tech at Clemson
---Perhaps.  Who knew?  Should be fun.  All the ACC's best offensive playmakers are here: Calvin Johnson, James Davis, C.J. Spiller.

It Was Supposed to Be a Decent Game
(9:00 PM) Fresno State at LSU
---Then Fresno State decided to lose a bunch of games.  Oh well. 

***
PS: Best Schedule EVER

Three Very Big Games

Something to start thinking about:

Ohio State/Michigan

Louisville/West Virginia

USC/California

Hell, USC against anyone is something to keep an eye on right now.  Their computer advantage will slump in the next few weeks (BYE, Oregon State, Stanford) but after that it's Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame followed by Rival UCLA.  If USC miraculously survives that stretch, the computers will be very pleased with their strength of schedule and fall in love with them again.

They're not the nation's No. 2 team but if voters are unwilling to bump them and they just do the survival dance they'll be in Glendale, and unfairly so unless they get their acts together.

This Weekend, Quickly

Strange ACC Leadership Battle
Wake Forest at North Carolina State---Who'd a thunk it?

Please, Ignore the Other Six Games and Only Remember This Beatdown, We Swear We're Good
Vanderbilt at Georgia

No Way It... Noooo...Nah...Well...Maybe...
Florida State at Duke

John L. Smith Can't Catch Any Breaks
Ohio State at Michigan State

The Proving Grounds
Missouri at Texas A&M

Why Are You Watching This Horrible, Awful, Game
Maryland at Virginia

This Is Actually the OMG SEC CBS Afternoon Game?!
Mississippi at Alabama

Mercifully The Genial Keith Jackson's Not Around To Have to Address The Chris Purtz Situation on American Television
California at Washington State

Not Bad for Non-BCS
Houston at Southern Miss

I Just Gave You Praise This Week Don't Make Me Look Stupid
Florida at Auburn

Yes, Virginia, There Are Games Between Now and the Ohio State Showdown---Don't Mess It Up
Michigan at Penn State 

The Weekend's Big Games

Since there isn't a clear-cut "must see" game here, I'll single out a few notables from each time block (all times Eastern).

The Early Games

12:00 PM---Toledo at Pittsburgh

I guess?  Pittsburgh wants revenge.

12:30 PM---Colorado at Missouri

Missouri finally faces an opponent with a semblance of an offense to fight back against them.  Colorado suddenly looks alive, but was it just a one-game deal?  Showtime.

The Early Afternoon Swing

2:30 PM---Purdue at Notre Dame

Notre Dame's wild ride through the start of the 2006 season continues, this time against 4-0 Purdue.  Crazy DidYouKnow about Purdue: they own a seven game win streak.  Yeah I had no idea.

3:00 PM---Boise State at Utah

A rare quality game out West that doesn't involve a Pac-10 team.  Savor it.

3:30 PM---Alabama at Florida

31-3

3:30 PM---Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech

I hold no illusions that this will be an interesting game.  However, it's an opportunity to sort out the ACC mess and figure out whether either of these teams can distinguish themselves from the crap football the rest of their league has played. 

3:30 PM---Texas Tech at Texas A&M

Dennis Franchione badly needs this week as the mob readies the torches and rope for any suspicious losses.

The Evening Shift

6:00 PM---Houston at Miami

This is a pride game for the Hurricanes so they'll probably romp, but the Coker Must Go crowd badly wants a loss or bad appearance here.

7:00 PM---USC at Washington State

Trap game?  Pullman is not a friendly place and the Cougar faithful think they've got a pretty good team.

7:00 PM---Troy at UAB

This game isn't all that compelling, but we get to see world-beaters play down a level to more realistic competition after nearly knocking off shaky elites like Florida State and Oklahoma.

8:00 PM---Ohio State at Iowa

This is just the second-ever night game at Kinnick Stadium, and GameDay's showing up to join the party.  Personally I expect a Buckeye romp, but we'll see whether the Hawkeyes can make this thing interesting.

The Late Night Shift

9:00 PM---New Mexico at UTEP

This may be one hell of a shootout if the conditions are right.

10:00 PM---Washington at Arizona

Every game this season is another proving ground for the Huskies, who knocked off UCLA last weekend.  I tend to think they're finally good again.  Not Pac-10 contenders obviously, but it's good to see them back if true.  Arizona thinks they're pretty good too, so this game should be well played.

To see all televised listings, please visit this incredible link. 

Early Look at the Weekend

I'll get to the previous two weeks of games shortly, but here's what to look forward to in week four of College Football 2006:

Weekday Specials

Thursday night pits two uninspiring, ready-for-mutiny coaches against each other as Virginia and coach Al Groh face Georgia Tech and Chan Gailey.

Friday night gives us a kinky and unusual battle between Northwestern and Nevada, two teams who really like to score and aren't shy about it.

The Real Conference Battles Begin

Yes, South Carolina did face Mississippi State in week one.  Yes, Fresno State played Nevada.  No, that's not normal in the first three weeks of the season.

What is normal?

Wisconsin at Michigan or North Carolina at Clemson starting... now.  Sure, there are some ongoing OOC matchups such as Colorado at Georgia and Notre Dame at Michigan State, but this week is the true kickoff of conference play throughout most of D-I football.

What Looks Good

How about two Pac-10 battles: UCLA at Washington and Arizona State at California.

In the SEC Alabama travels to Arkansas and in the Big Ten Penn State takes a stab at No. 1 Ohio State.

Top Ranked, But Low Profile

In "other" games, some of college football's best have some barely visible matchups or are otherwise feasting on the weak sisters of the poor.

Louisville at Kansas State
Buffalo at Auburn
Iowa State at Texas
West Virginia at East Carolina
Kentucky at Florida
USC at Arizona
Tulane at LSU

Anything Else?

Yep.  Some midlevel ACC teams should use this weekend to not get caught in the fray and do something other than goof around against inferior conference foes if they know what's good for them.  I'm talking about you, Clemson (home against North Carolina) and you, Boston College (on the road at North Carolina State).

Here's a link to the early lines at the Las Vegas sports books to see how others are treating these games. 

Big Weekend Saturday

More on this later, but look at these games:

Big Time

Michigan at Notre Dame
LSU at Auburn
Miami at Louisville
Oklahoma at Oregon
Texas Tech at TCU
Clemson at Florida State
Nebraska at USC
Florida at Tennessee 

Unusual OOC Matchups

BYU at Boston College
Michigan State at Pittsburgh
San Diego State at Wisconsin
Baylor at Washington State
Fresno State at Washington
Arizona State at Colorado
North Carolina State at Southern Miss
Navy at Stanford 

Rivalry/State Battles

Iowa State at Iowa
Utah at Utah State
Idaho State at Idaho

Grrrrreat weekend of football coming up...

Today's Schedule and Prediction

8:00 PM---Cincinnati at Pittsburgh ^ESPN2

The Prediction

Nick Lachey won't be happy, but his hometown Bearcats just aren't very good at this football thing recently.  After playing as Wannstedt teams tend to do last year, Pitt thinks this is a year for dramatic improvement.  They have Tyler Palko, which is a good start, and a horde of freshmen who can play and stuff.

Cincinnati could have a fine defensive performance, seeing as they return nearly their entire defense from last year.  Such cohesiveness is rare and teams usually take advantage of that.

That said, last year's matchup went 38-20 in favor of a weaker Pittsburgh team.  Unless the Panthers start turning the ball over they should be able to out-talent Cincinnati and score a few points.

The Weekend's Big Games

Grade I Stakes Race: Ohio State vs. Texas

Grade II Stakes Race :Penn State vs. Notre Dame

Non Graded Stakes Race: Washington vs. Oklahoma, Arizona vs. LSU, Minnesota vs. California, Oregon vs. Fresno State 

Restricted Stakes Race: Central Michigan vs. Michigan, Colorado vs. Colorado State, Texas Tech vs. UTEP 

Starter Allowance Race: Clemson vs. Boston College, Georgia vs. South Carolina, Tulsa vs. BYU, Nevada vs. Arizona State

It's a pretty good weekend when you can have two "Graded Stakes" type games in one afternoon.  They're like early-season bowl games.

Washington vs. Oklahoma would have been something in the 1980's, but hopefully the two can make it enjoyable despite UW's decline.  There are plenty of good regional matchups to observe, however (Nevada/Arizona State, Georgia/South Carolina).

Today's Schedule, Prediction

7:30 PM---Oregon State at Boise State^ESPN

 
The Prediction

These teams met early last year, with Oregon State prevailing 30-27 to put Boise State in an 0-2 hole after their loss to Georgia.  It was a fairly even game, with Boise playing a little better offensively.  The weather played a hand with wind and a downpour of hail making play difficult.

Both teams are coming off meaningless wins against I-AA foes so it's hard to judge their performances just yet.  We do know that they have veteran quarterbacks who like to throw interceptions (34 combined last year).  Boise has a new coach in last year's offensive coordinator Chris Peterson who takes over for Dan Hawkins who went to Colorado.

The Broncos are also very tough at home, but were losing big to offensively-challenged Boston College in the MPC Computers Bowl (played in Boise) before a furious late rally came up just a bit short with a Zabransky interception in the end zone.

I think the combination of raucous home environment and a season unburdened by heavy national expectations should give Boise State a modest edge in this game against a team not much more talented than themselves.  Oregon State has a fine running back in Yvenson Bernard and is renowned for their defensive play, but the defense has slipped in the last two seasons and shows little sign of recovery.

With some hesitancy, I'm going with the Broncos here for just their second all-time win against a Pac-10 foe (previous win was against Oregon State in 2004 by the score of 53-34).