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Football
Tony's Tip Sheet
By Tony "88" Gerdeman

Football is here!

Well, almost.

This week there are only a handful of good games, but there is always so much turnover in college football that most games will provide us with some nuggets of information.

Even though there are only a couple of big games in the Big Ten, there is plenty of drama and anticipation.

On Saturday, we are going to get to see Michigan burst through the doors of the 21st century, only to find that it's double-paned glass.

We are also going to get to see Penn State's new offense and Joe Paterno's surprise at not seeing Anthony Morelli on the field.

Unfortunately, Notre Dame doesn't open until next week, so we'll have to wait a week for Cringe TV.

And, above all else, we get to see Terrelle Pryor's first of many SportsCenter highlights...yes, even though we all hate ESPN.

And that's just the surrounding states here in Ohio.

Football is finally here, and I can almost hear Gary Danielson practicing in front of his mirror...

"TEE-bow! Tee-BOW! TEE-BOW!!!"

Thursday August 28

Teams: Vanderbilt at Miami (OH)
Time (TV): 7:30 pm (ESPNU)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: Miami (OH)

The first game of the year is here and it features a MAC team that is favored over a mighty SEC opponent. Sad. We're rooting for the Redhawks here, even though I almost feel bad for telling you not to root for an overmatched SEC team against their MAC opponent. Miami returns 17 starters from a team that lost to Central Michigan in the MAC Championship Game. Vanderbilt returns nine starters from a team that dropped games against Georgia and Tennessee by a total of four points. Vandy and Miami met last year in Nashville, with the Commodores winning 24-13. Look for Miami to return the favor, and by about the same score.

Teams: Troy at Middle Tennessee
Time (TV): 7:30 pm (ESPN Plus)
Interest: 2.5
Cheer For: Troy

Troy opens their season with everybody's favorite--a road conference game. Assuming Dwight Dasher gets the start at quarterback for Middle Tennessee, this one could get interesting. Dasher only played the better part of eight games last season, but still finished with over 500 yards rushing--he actually gained 674 yards, but lost a bit due to sacks. Troy will be working with a new backfield, and they lost their top two wide receivers, but they return everybody else on offense--including their entire starting offensive line. The defense always has plenty of talent, especially when you consider that half of the players on Troy's roster originally signed or played at SEC schools.

Teams: North Carolina State at South Carolina
Time (TV): 8:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest: 2.5
Cheer For: North Carolina State

Steve Spurrier and South Carolina's luster has worn off. It's time the Gamecocks do something under Spurrier--and this could be the year they do it. Consecutive Thursday night games against NC State and at Vanderbilt should leave South Carolina 2-0 before Georgia comes to town for the biggest home game in Spurrier's tenure at South Carolina.

Teams: Wake Forest at Baylor
Time (TV): 8:00 pm (FSN)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: Wake Forest

I'm looking forward to this one because it involves two of the more entertaining offensive systems in college football. Everybody knows about Wake, but this year Baylor debuts its new offense under new head coach Art Briles. Briles loves misdirection and the unorthodox, so don't be surprised with what you see in this one. However, it's probably going to be pretty ugly at first. Expect Wake to win by a couple of touchdowns

Teams: Oregon State at Stanford
Time (TV): 9:00 pm (ESPN2)
Interest: 2
Cheer For: Oregon State

I really don't care too much about this game and rather than talk about it I am just going to type stuff until I feel I've added enough content to justify moving on. The problem with not putting in enough content is soon you'll have people (editors) who think you're not taking your job seriously and they'll start looking around for somebody who will. However, if you've got enough content, then they generally don't care. And I think one more sentence should just about do it.

[Editor's Note: Yes, it was just enough, but the check is going to bounce anyway.]

Friday August 29

Teams: SMU at Rice
Time (TV): 8:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest: 4.5
Cheer For: Rice

Why is this a "4.5"? It's obvious, isn't it? This is my "Fantasy Focus Game of the Week". Surprisingly, there is no sponsor yet. Anyway, I'm starting Rice's quarterback--nay, "America's Quarterback", Chase Clement in this one. This is also the debut of June Jones at SMU, but I'd say the fact that I'm starting Chase Clement in this one is the bigger story. I'm hoping for 150 points scored and seven overtimes--and you should too.

Saturday August 30

Teams: Virginia Tech at East Carolina
Time (TV): 12:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest: 2
Cheer For: East Carolina

If you have an Upset Alert airhorn, go get it right now. I'll wait.

Got it? Okay, now hit the airhorn.

Now go apologize to the people around you, you idiot. Who keeps an Upset Alert airhorn? Seriously! Now you've got me completely sidetracked. I think I was about to say that the only offensive skill the Hokies have returning is slightly above average quarterback Sean Glennon. The Hokies' top four receivers are gone, as is their leading rusher from a year ago. To make matters more difficult, the coaches are planning on redshirting sophomore quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who just happened to put Glennon on the bench last year and managed to finish second on the team in rushing as well. The defense is in an even more difficult spot as they only return four starters. East Carolina returns 15 starters, but their biggest loss is running back Chris Johnson. The Pirates can employ different quarterbacks, but they'll need to find a running back if they are going to have a chance to win this one. I'll go with the Hokies, but it won't be easy.

Teams: Syracuse at Northwestern
Time (TV): 12:00 pm (ESPN2)
Interest: 2.5
Cheer For: Northwestern

You want to know what the addition of the twelfth game has done to college football? If Northwestern gets the win over Syracuse on Saturday, it could end up being the best win for the conference this week. Against freaking Syracuse. This game will give you a good chance to get a look at Northwestern's new no-huddle offense. Don't be surprised when they put 35-40 points on the board.

Teams: Western Kentucky at Indiana
Time (TV): 12:00 pm (BTN)
Interest: 2
Cheer For: Indiana

Kellen Lewis has been named the Hoosiers' starting quarterback, which is about as shocking as walking by Charlie Weis' house and hearing him cuss out his dog for dragging his butt along the carpet. The Hoosiers are still looking for a running back, even if they don't know it. (Marcus Thigpen is not the answer.) They don't need a workhorse this week as a committee will be just fine. Kellen Lewis may be a bit rusty to start, so expect him to run a bit more than normal. If the Hoosiers are going to be a bowl team, they should win this by at least three touchdowns.

Teams: Maine at Iowa
Time (TV): 12:00 pm (BTN)
Interest: 1
Cheer For: Iowa

The main story (pun intended) about this game is that Kirk Ferentz will be coaching against his old team. But the bigger story about this game is that the Big Ten Network is actually paying to air this stuff.

Teams: Coastal Carolina at Penn State
Time (TV): 12:00 pm (BTN)
Interest: 2.5
Cheer For: Penn State

This could be Joe Paterno's fourth-to-last season opener for the Nittany Lions and his team doesn't want to disappoint him, so you can expect the best out of the Nittany Lions this week. We will get to see the debut of the long-awaited "Spread HD" offense from Penn State and you can bet it will be pretty interesting. I was going to look up some information on Coastal Carolina, but then I realized that I could just make it all up and nobody would know the difference. The Sea Dogs return seven starters on offense, including leading rusher Terry "Turkey" Jones. They call him "Turkey" because as a child he gobbled everything in sight. Clearly, his mother loved puns.

Teams: Akron at Wisconsin
Time (TV): 12:00 pm (BTN)
Interest: 3
Cheer For: Wisconsin

I'm starting Wisconsin's defense this week, so when the Badgers give up two first quarter touchdowns, you'll know why. Eventually, the Badgers' running game will wear the Zips down. We'll also get to see how new quarterback Allan Evridge does and whether he's the next Darrell Bevell or the next John Stocco. (Psych!! Those are the same two guys. LOL!) Anyway, watch out for redshirt freshman running back John Clay, he's going to be a star and don't be surprised when he's splitting carries 50/50 or 40/60 with P.J. Hill next season.

Teams: Ohio at Wyoming
Time (TV): 2:00 pm (MTN)
Interest: 1.5
Cheer For: Ohio

If you get The MTN, then you can do some Bobcat scouting for me. If you don't get The MTN then you should call your local cable operator and let them know that they are infringing upon your rights to scout. If they act dumb--and they will, tell them that you thought this was America. If they try to interrupt you, tell them that your great grandparents didn't come all the way over here from Pennsylvania so that your dream of scouting the Bobcats on cable television could be held hostage by a monopoly! And if they try to tell you that there's nothing more that they can do for you, ask to speak with their supervisor. When the supervisor gets on the phone, ask if he gets The MTN, and if he does, ask him if you can come over and watch the game and sorta like hang out and stuff. Thanks.

[Editor's Note: Once again, just enough, but the check is still going to bounce.]

Teams: USC at Virginia
Time (TV): 3:30 pm (ESPN2/ABC)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: USC

Word on the street is that Mark Sanchez hasn't looked too good now that he's back at practice. That really doesn't mean squat against Virginia, but it's nice to know. It's a toss-up right now who we'll see at quarterback on Saturday for the Trojans. One thing we probably do know is that it will either be Sanchez or Aaron Corp and undoubtedly Mitch Mustain's mom is not happy about it. Virginia may be able to stay with Southern Cal for a half or so, provided they run some interceptions or kickoffs back for touchdowns, but they're not going to score on this defense.

Teams: Utah at Michigan
Time (TV): 3:30 pm (ABC/ESPN2)
Interest: 5
Cheer For: Michigan

Remember going to the fair and seeing the poster of "The Spider Lady" who supposedly has eight arms and legs? And then when you paid your buck and went in, you could tell it was fake? Well, the freak show we will see in this game is going to be 100% legit. The Carny Offense has come to Ann Arbor and they've parked their trailer at the north end of the stadium and they ain't moving for nothin'! This will be our first look at Rich Rodriguez's spread offense and I would recommend that you avoid taking a swig of anything while Michigan's offense is on the field--unless you enjoy the feeling of carbonated beverages passing through your nose. Too many people are picking Utah here, and they aren't even really considering it an upset. This is still Michigan, and they still have pride. I'll take the Wolverines by 10.

Teams: Appalachian State at LSU
Time (TV): 5:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest: 4
Cheer For: Appalachian State

The Battle of the National Champions. Appalachian State will come into this game with the better quarterback and...well, that's about it. LSU will probably start former Harvard transfer Andrew Hatch at quarterback before he gives way to redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee or true freshman Jordan Jefferson. Until then, and even after, the Tigers will rely on the running game and a defense that makes Todd McShay pee a little when he watches them. Fortunately for LSU, they won't be overlooking Appalachian State given what happened in Ann Arbor last season. Still, Mountaineers quarterback Armanti Edwards can give the best of defenses fits. But eventually, LSU will catch him--and quite possibly break him.

Teams: Northern Illinois at Minnesota
Time (TV): 7:00 pm (BTN)
Interest: 3
Cheer For: Minnesota

I can't believe I'm going to watch this game for at least a good hour. And I'm looking forward to it. I want to see Tim Brewster's offense again, and I want to see if the defense is still as awful as it was a season ago. And I want to see the halftime interview with Tim Brewster when the Gophers are down 34-20 at the half and hear him talk about all of the positive things his team has done--like hold the opponent under 40. In the end, however, Adam Weber will be too much for the Huskies and the Gophers will win by about ten.

Teams: Boston College at Kent State (at Cleveland)
Time (TV): 7:30 pm (ESPNU)
Interest: 3
Cheer For: Kent State

I'm not a fan of BCS schools traveling to MAC schools, because it's unnecessary. However, I like this move by Boston College because it gets their name and face out and about in Cleveland, which is an area teeming with Boston College level recruits. As far as the now is concerned, Matt Ryan is gone, as is his nickname "Matty Ice". In his place is Chris "The Champagne of Quarterbacks" Crane. The Champagne of Quarterbacks is a senior who actually has one start in his career and he's pretty much what you'd expect from a Boston College quarterback. Kent State is returning 16 starters, including my second round draft pick at running back, 5'5" Eugene "Tall Boy" Jarvis. I'm starting Tall Boy this week, so expect a shut out from the vaunted Eagle defense.

Teams: Michigan State at California
Time (TV): 8:00 pm (ABC/Gameplan)
Interest: 4.5
Cheer For: Michigan State

The Spartans have a very good offense and they'll be showcasing it against a Pac 10 defense--this is usually a deadly combination. Javon Ringer will get the ball 20 or 30 times and he will run through the Cal defense like hippies through free food. (FYI - hippies love free food.) Despite Jeff Tedford's best efforts as a quarterback guru, Cal has six ways of suck at quarterback and the Spartans are going to get after the Bears' offense all game long. And Brian Hoyer isn't as bad as you think he is.

Teams: Alabama vs Clemson (at Atlanta)
Time (TV): 8:00 pm (ABC/Gameplan)
Interest: 4.5
Cheer For: Alabama

This game is almost enough for me to buy the Gameplan package, but alas, I am very cheap. The talk this week has been mainly about Tide receiver Julio Jones and how much he reminds everybody of a cross between Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson and Nick Saban. He has Moss' build and speed, Johnson's skills and Saban's humility. As far as Clemson is concerned, everybody knows that they are going to collapse at some point this season, but it shouldn't happen this quickly. Alabama will be a national player in another year or two, but for now, they're just upset specialists. I think Clemson gets this one, but they probably won't be so lucky next time.

Teams: Illinois vs Missouri (St. Louis)
Time (TV): 8:30 pm (ESPN)
Interest: 5
Cheer For: Illinois

The closer we get to this game, the more I keep thinking that the Illini are going to have a shot here. However, that's probably due to the fact that I had to read a lot of Illini articles while doing my astoundingly in-depth research for their team preview. (It was that same astoundingly in-depth research that caused me to pick the Illini dead last in the Big Ten in last year's previews.) Despite the hours of research, I just can't see Illinois beating Missouri and Chase Daniel in a season opener. Missouri's offense will be clicking from the get go, whereas Illinois is going to have to find some things out about theirs. The Illini defense will cause some problems, but Missouri will cause more.

Teams: Washington at Oregon
Time (TV): 10:00 pm (FSN)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: Washington

The last game of the first Saturday of football. If you want to break out into "Auld Lang Syne" at the half, I'm not gonna stop you. Conference games in week one are always great because it gives you more drama than your typical first week opponents. In this one, Mike Bellotti went ahead and had his quarterback injure his knee right off the bat so as to dissuade fans' crazy expectations. So with Nathan Costa out for at least two months, Justin Roper will step in, as he had to last season as well. Roper played okay last season, so all hope isn't completely lost. I'm looking forward to watching Jake Locker again, as you would hope he's gotten better this season, though with Ty Willingham's history of developing quarterbacks, we probably shouldn't get our hopes up. Look for the Ducks to pound the ball with Jeremiah Johnson and JUCO transfer LaGarrette Blount, then go over the top to Jaison Williams on the play action. I'll go with the Ducks by two touchdowns.

Sunday August 31

Teams: Kentucky at Louisville
Time (TV): 3:30 (ESPN)
Interest: 3
Cheer For: Louisville

I'm not going to make any lame jokes about the state of Kentucky because I wouldn't want to upset our Cincinnati readers. I will, however, say that if Steve Kragthorpe's team doesn't show up this season, he's done. And he might not even make it to November. For Kentucky, we get to see Brian Hartline's brother Mike at quarterback, so that will give us somebody to root for while we wait for the implosion. (But we're still rooting against Kentucky to win.)

Teams: Colorado State vs Colorado (Denver)
Time (TV): 7:30 pm (FSN)
Interest: 2.5
Cheer For: Colorado State

For some reason, I always like this game but rarely watch it. However, now that Colorado is on their way back, I'm intrigued to see how they do. I'm also looking forward to seeing freshman running back Darrell Scott for the Buffaloes. He was one of the top high school running backs in the country and the Buffs got him out of USC's back yard, so he's a kid you definitely have to root for. Even though, again, we're rooting against his team. I'm not moving too fast for you, am I?

Monday September 1

Teams: Fresno State at Rutgers
Time (TV): 4:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: Fresno State

Everybody loves talking about Fresno State's "Play anybody anywhere" attitude, but what they don't usually talk about is the fact that the Bulldogs have lost seven of their last eight regular season meetings against BCS teams. And I expect them to lose their next one after this one as well. For all of the talk about Ray Rice and Rutgers' running game, people forget that they can throw the ball very well. Mike Teel threw for 3,147 yards last season and he has two 1,000-yard receivers coming back this season. Rutgers has put themselves in a position where they have depth and talent, and they'll find somebody to run the ball. But initially, they may have to throw to run...but they're fine with that.

Teams: Tennessee at UCLA
Time (TV): 8:00 pm (ESPN)
Interest: 3.5
Cheer For: UCLA

You know football season is here when UCLA's quarterbacks are injured. It was going to be fun to see what Rick Neuheisel could do with some talent at quarterback, but now he's going to have to figure something else out. What he really needs to do this week, however, is figure out how to stop Arian Foster and the Tennessee running game. Tennessee isn't great, but you kind of get the feeling that they're just going to glom onto the Bruins and wear them down. The Vols are the SEC's version of the sleeper hold. Maybe after the game, they'll shave the Bruins' heads.

The Game That Matters

Teams: Youngstown State at Ohio State
Time (TV): 12:00 pm (BTN)
Interest: 5
Cheer For: Ohio State

The Buckeyes have a lot to prove in this game. As ESPN will tell you, the Buckeyes haven't won a game since last November. That's nearly ten months without a win! Obviously, the Penguins are a good team for the Buckeyes to end their slide on, but they can't be underestimated. In the wild, penguins are called "Nature's Prison Stabbers", meaning they'll sneak up on you and shiv you while you're not looking. The Buckeyes cannot let their guard down because Youngstown State is coming to Columbus looking for a win, but they'll settle for a brawl. Watch your kidneys, Buckeyes!

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