Football
Tom's Tip Sheet
By Tony Gerdeman

Welcome to Tom’s Tip Sheet, now in its fifth year and with 100% fewer Toms!

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for Tom to leave and do other things, I am left holding the Tip Sheet bag. While this may be an uncomfortable change for you, I can assure you that you are very overdramatic.

Never fear, however, as we have gone through extensive meetings with focus groups and they have all agreed that as long as the name stays the same, people won’t know the difference. In fact, by me telling you there’s a difference, I am actually rendering the results of the focus group moot. What a colossal waste of money.

Anyway, Tom’s Tip Sheet will still remain the only alliteratively-titled place that you can go to read about the big games of the week, as well as the weeknight games and the games featuring Ohio State opponents, and the critical advice on who to root for to assure your Buckeyes' climb up the BCS ladder, or as is the case this year, to make sure they stay on top the ladder. What more could you ask for?

(Stop asking for Tom.)

Anyway, there is no competition this season. It’ll just be me talking about football and stuff. Sometimes more stuff than football. Sometimes only stuff.

So, with no further fanfare, let’s get the first Tip Sheet of the year under way!

Thursday

Teams: Boston College at Central Michigan
Time (TV): 6:00 (ESPN2)
Interest: 4 (1st half). 1 (2nd half)
Cheer For: Central Michigan

It's the game that everybody looks forward to every year. The first game of the season. However, it's only attractive because we've been stranded on an island without football for the last eight months. We've let our beards grow out. Our hair is wild. And for some reason that I still don't understand, we've started talking to a volleyball rather than capturing a monkey and training him to laugh at our jokes and collect island fruit for us. And off in the distance, we see a boat. It's not a big boat, mind you, but it's still a boat. We get our signal fire going, we start jumping around and waving on our beach. We think they see us! Wait, what's this out of the corner of our eye? Hey, it's a bigger boat! It's the Northwestern at Miami boat!

Teams: Northwestern at Miami (OH)
Time (TV): 7:30 (ESPNU)
Interest: 4
Cheer For: Northwestern

This game was originally intended to be a homecoming for Randy Walker. It will instead by the debut of Pat Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald won't let the importance of this game be lost on his players. As far as the game is concerned on the field, both teams are breaking in new quarterbacks, but they do so with quality running backs and solid offensive lines. Both defenses are suspect, obviously, but Miami may be the more disadvantaged as they only return two defensive starters from last season. Redshirt freshman Mike Kafka gets the start at quarterback for Northwestern, so look for Tyrell Sutton to get the ball early and often, which should lead to at least a touchdown win for Northwestern.

Teams: Minnesota at Kent State
Time (TV): 7:30
Interest: 2.5
Cheer For: Minnesota

Glen Mason returns to his old stomping grounds of Kent State, where he had a record of 12-10 in his two years there in 1986 and 1987. He brings with him a senior quarterback and veteran receivers. He also brings an unproven stable of running backs. The defense should be more than capable of handling Kent State. Give me the Gophers in this one all day long.

Teams: South Carolina at Mississippi State
Time (TV): 8:00 (ESPN)
Interest: 3
Cheer For: South Carolina

Mississippi State returns 18 starters, including both specialists. South Carolina returns Steve Spurrier. Advantage: South Carolina. I’m expecting the Gamecocks to move the ball all over the Bulldogs. In fact, Blake Mitchell, Mike Davis and Sidney Rice might be the best offensive trio in the SEC.

Teams: UTEP at San Diego State
Time (TV): 10:30 (CSTV)
Interest: 1.5 (same as the line)
Cheer For: San Diego State

I’m guessing there will be about 80 points scored in this one. Chuck Long is making his head coaching debut for the Aztecs, so you know he’ll want to put some points up. And Mike Price doesn’t know how NOT to score. Lynell Hamilton is back once again to run the ball for the Aztecs for about three games before he Prothro’s his ankle. If you don’t have CSTV, you can call your local cable operator and let them know that you would like CSTV. They will either take your concerns into account, or lie to you and tell you that your opinion matters. Either way, at least you had human contact for the day.

Friday Sept. 1

Teams: Nevada at Fresno State
Time (TV): 10:00 (ESPN2)
Interest: 3
Cheer For: Nevada

I’m looking forward to this one. I’ve got Nevada running back Robert Hubbard on my fantasy team. I’m probably going to start him, because I figure that if Reggie Bush can go off on Fresno State, then so can Robert Hubbard.

Saturday Sept. 2

Teams: Vanderbilt at Michigan
Time (TV): Noon (ESPN)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: Michigan

If you think Vanderbilt is bad, then you haven’t seen them. Because they’re even worse than you think. They were bad with Jay Cutler, they’ll be worse without him. You know your team is bad when your quarterback is considered a winner because he has so many close losses. Vanderbilt won’t be able to do anything to stop Michigan’s offense. Michael Hart will rush for 150 yards and Mario Manningham will have a touchdown or two. Steve Breaston will return a kick or a punt for a touchdown and everybody will declare that the sleeping giant has awoken.

Teams: Idaho at Michigan State
Time (TV): Noon
Interest: 1.5
Cheer For: Michigan State

Another instance of an old coach playing his old team. In six seasons at Idaho, from 1989 to 1994, John L. Smith compiled a 53-21 record for the Vandals. The penchant for late season collapses wasn't evident at Idaho, which further proves that that's just how Michigan State is. Expect a big day from everybody wearing green on offense. Javon Ringer will rush for over 100 yards and he may not be the only one. The Spartans can score 50 if they want, but with the Eastern Michigan game looming on the horizon, John L. will probably choose to rest his players in the fourth quarter.

Teams: Montana at Iowa
Time (TV): Noon (ESPNU)
Interest: 1
Cheer For: Iowa

This game is on television? Seriously? Oh, that's right, it's not TV, it's ESPNU. PAX wouldn't even pay to air this.

Teams: North Texas at Texas
Time (TV): Noon (FSN)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: Texas

I know, it will be hard to cheer against North Texas. Still, we must do what is best for the Buckeyes. The Longhorns will be starting redshirt freshman Colt McCoy but Mack Brown will play true freshman Jevan Snead as well. When McCoy is in the game, expect the passes to be short and to the point. They’ll go deep every now and again, but the short passes will be the norm. Everybody knows about the running game, especially 47-year old Selvin Young and sophomore Jamaal Charles. However, both McCoy and Snead are able to move around a little bit themselves. Also keep an eye out for the Texas tight ends, as they are usually the first point of contact for any footballs thrown by a Longhorn quarterback. Mean Green running back Jamario Thomas is a former NCAA rushing champ, so perhaps they’ll be able to score enough so that Texas can’t cover.

Teams: Indiana State at Purdue
Time (TV): 1:00
Interest: 1
Cheer For: Indiana State

Ah, the Sycamores. Indiana State is only known for one thing--Larry Bird. The only entity that hangs on to decades long past more than Indiana State is Penn State fan.

Teams: Akron at Penn State
Time (TV): 3:30 (ESPN2)
Interest: 3
Cheer For: Penn State

This will actually be a pretty interesting test for the Nittany Lions. Akron has a very good MAC offense, and Penn State has an excellent MAC defense. Paul Posluszny looks to prove all of his doubters wrong and show them that he actually earned the Butkus Award. If Penn State can hold Akron under 400 yards of total offense, then I think he will have proven his point. No longer will Poz have to walk through airports, bus terminals, and Pottery Barns being looked down on because he was given a tainted award. The award was already tainted, he merely gleefully accepted it. Get off his back!

Teams: Marshall at West Virginia
Time (TV): 3:30
Interest: 2
Cheer For: Marshall

Dear Ma,

This is your son, Hub. I would like you to tell Ginch that as long as he's cheering for Marshall, he will not be allowed back in my home. We've been brothers as long as I can remember, but I can't stand having a lousy Herd fan sitting on my bean bag chair. Especially not the good one. As long as he continues to insult this Mountaineer family, not only will he be banned from the family room, but also the pool out front. If you want peace back in our family, you will inform Ginch of my wishes. If you do not, I have a crossbow.

Love,

Hub

Teams: California at Tennessee
Time (TV): 5:30 (ESPN)
Interest: 4.5
Cheer For: Tennessee

I'm looking forward to this one. Half the people out there expect this year's version of Tennessee to be just like last season's. The other half believe last year was an aberration. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, per usual. California is going to be using Northwestern's offense this season, so they could be pretty dynamic. Of course, that depends in part on quarterback Nate Longshore's development. And not just his development, but also his composure. Fortunately for him, Tennessee will be breaking in 6/7ths of a new front seven. Still, I think I kind of expect Tennessee to win.

Teams: Western Michigan at Indiana
Time (TV): 6:00
Interest: 1.5
Cheer For: Indiana

Are you ready to defend The Rock!? You ever wonder what else Terry Hoeppner adamantly defends the rest of the week?

Sunday: Hoeppner defends meatloaf being the staple of Sunday dinner, despite constant outcries of turkey from traitorous outsiders.

Monday: Hoeppner defends his home, declaring that "this will always be a CSI house!" in an effort to defuse an uprising from Friends-watching marauders.

Tuesday: Hoeppner defends his yard from hunnish school kids looking to take a shortcut on their way home.

Wednesday: Hoeppner defends his title of having the fastest Camry in the neighborhood. Hoeppner won't reveal his record time to anybody, telling them, "You ain't racing the record, you're racing me."

Thursday: Hoeppner defends the casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker to anybody who will listen.

Friday: Hoeppner defends his Eggo.

Teams: Eastern Illinois at Illinois
Time (TV): 7:00
Interest: 0.5
Cheer For: Illinois

Eastern Illinois? I don't know much about them. I'm guessing that they are called the "Eagles". Hold on, let me go check. Dang it, they're the Panthers. I always go with a bird when I know in my heart that I should go with a large predatory cat. This one’s going to bother me all week. That brings my 2006 Mascot Quiz Bowl record to 0-1.

Teams: Wisconsin at Bowling Green (in Cleveland)
Time (TV): 7:00
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: Bowling Green

Why cheer for Bowling Green? Because the Buckeyes don’t play Wisconsin and we’re tired of sharing our Big Ten Championships. The Badgers are breaking in some new running backs this season. Let’s hope they have a winner in redshirt freshman P.J. Hill (because I drafted him). The Falcons have a new quarterback in Anthony Turner. He’s more mobile than Omar Jacobs, but not as polished in the passing game. He’s probably more comparable to Josh Harris from a few years back. The Bowling Green offense will still put up yards, but I don’t think they’ll have any answers for Wisconsin’s running game. I’ll take the Badgers in the “Clash in Cleveland”.

Teams: Eastern Kentucky at Cincinnati
Time (TV): 7:30
Interest: 1
Cheer For: Cincinnati

Hmm, another golden opportunity for Mascot Quiz Bowl! I’ll say Eastern Kentucky is the…Miners. Lemme go check. Dang! They’re the Colonels. I was close. I at least went with vocation, rather than animal. It’s always a tough choice. People think mascot-guessing is easy, but as you can see, it’s clearly not. Take it to heart. (That puts me at 0-2 in Mascot Quiz Bowl 2006).

Teams: Washington State at Auburn
Time (TV): 7:45 (ESPN2)
Interest: 4
Cheer For: Washington State

Why cheer for Washington State? Because they’re not going undefeated this season. The sooner Auburn gets a loss, the better. Actually, the later the better, but you get the point. Don’t be surprised if Kenny Irons runs for about 200 yards in this one. However, it pains me to go against a front four with first names like Mkristo, A’I, Ropati and Lance. Well, not so much “Lance”.

Teams: Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
Time (TV): 8:00 (ABC)
Interest: 4.5
Cheer For: Georgia Tech

Let's just start out by saying that the best player on the field will be Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Unfortunately, Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball is on that same field, rendering Johnson about as useful as French doors on a minivan. People are pointing to this game as a trendy upset pick. My friendship-beaded shoestrings and I laugh at your trends. Georgia Tech is replacing over half of its defense, which means that they are going to be chasing a lot of Domers come Saturday night. I think Georgia Tech will be able to run fairly successfully on the Irish. But, I think the Irish offense will be too much for the Yellow Jacket defense, and Reggie Ball won’t prove consistent enough to take advantage of the Notre Dame defense. And just for fun, I’m going to pick every ABC night game this year. Notre Dame by two touchdowns.

Teams: Southern California at Arkansas
Time (TV): 8:45 (ESPN)
Interest: 4.5
Cheer For: Arkansas

I really like these intersectional matchups. I would’ve liked this one better had Darren McFadden not gotten injured. Still, the Razorbacks remain deep at running back. Expect the carries to be split between Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis. Jones will be the big play threat; Hillis will be the consistent load bearer. Arkansas has the offense to score on USC, provided they can get anything out of quarterback Robert Johnson. Johnson is a mobile quarterback, but he’s not very good at throwing a football. It will be imperative that he not have to do too much. John David Booty gets his first start at quarterback for USC. We will also get to see who the next great running back at USC is. I can’t wait to see who follows in Sunny Byrd’s legendary footsteps! Also, as an SEC team, I would be insulted to be an eight-point underdog at home to a team from Cali-flippin’-fornia!

Sunday Sept. 3

Teams: Memphis at Ole Miss
Time (TV): 4:30 (ESPN)
Interest: 1.5
Cheer For: Ole Miss

Yeesh, it’s games like this on Sundays that makes you long for the NFL. Still, we’ll get to see former Tennessee quarterback Brent Schaeffer starting for the Rebs. Remember him? He was the Vols’ version of Michael Vick before he turned into the Vols’ version of Marcus Vick. Ole Miss will also be starting former Hoosier running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Man, just think where Indiana would be if they still had him.

Teams: TCU at Baylor
Time (TV): 5:00 (FSN)
Interest: 1.5
Cheer For: Baylor

This is Game One of TCU’s BCS Upset Tour ’06. Mark it down, the Horned Frogs are going to take somebody’s spot in the BCS. (Probably Cal’s.)

Teams: Kentucky at Louisville
Time (TV): 8:00 (ESPN)
Interest: 5 (for me); 2 (for you)
Cheer For: Kentucky

This is the as of yet unsponsored Tom's Tip Sheet Fantasy Focus Game of the Week! In case you didn't know, and you probably didn't, I drafted running back Michael Bush number one overall in my draft. Obviously, I'm hoping for a seven touchdown game, but I'll settle for five. Anything less will be a disappointment.

Monday Sept. 4

Teams: Florida State at Miami
Time (TV): 8:00 (ESPN)
Interest: 5
Cheer For: Miami

I know, you can’t cheer for Miami. Join the club. It’s for the best, though, because Miami is more likely to lose further on down the road. It still remains to be seen whether Kyle Wright can be the big-time quarterback everybody once thought he could be. I’m guessing Florida State is going to come after him with everything they’ve got and find out. I have a lot more confidence in Drew Weatherford than I do in Wright. I also like the Seminoles defense better. I’ve long believed that picking ACC games is about as intelligent as basing which snakes to fight on the precautionary rhymes that are associated with them. As such, we’ll not pick this game.

Saturday's Big One

Teams: Northern Illinois at Ohio State
Time (TV): 3:30 (ABC/GP)
Interest: 5
Cheer For: Ohio State

The Buckeyes shouldn't even have to pass this week; however, since I'm starting Ted Ginn on my fantasy team, I'm hoping there are some deep throws. The Huskies are undersized and are in for a world of hurt. Expect Antonio Pittman to rush for over 100 yards and the Buckeyes as a whole to approach 300 yards on the ground. I’m guessing Garrett Wolfe will be held under 100 yards. Talk will turn to the Ohio State defense being “back”. Mark May will say, “We’ll see what happens against Texas.” Every television in a Buckeye home turned to him will have curses spewed at it. So, basically, it’ll be your typical Saturday.

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