This is the beginning of what will turn into some sort of college football blog on NCAABBS. The main focal points will be analyzing the college football games that could impact the BCS picture, and the overall general bowl picture. We should get a different sort of set up later on, but for now we'll just post the articles on the message boards.

Games are in alphabetical order via the home team


THURSDAY, AUGUST 30TH HIGHLIGHTED MATCHUPS

-MIAMI, OH AT BALL STATE (MAC). Neither team is expected to compete for a division title, but this is a chance for both teams to start the season off with a conference win. The winner only has six more to go before becoming bowl eligible.

-KENT STATE AT IOWA STATE. Kent State is one of the better teams in the MAC, and they could really jumpstart their season if they were to get a win in this game. It’s never easy to win on the road, but Kent looks to be the better team so I wouldn’t consider this an upset if they pulled it off.

-LSU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Mississippi State lost four of their last five games a season ago, but three of those losses were by just a field goal. Most people aren’t expecting much out of them, but they return a pretty good offense and a fairly decent defense. By the end of the year, this team was better than their record indicated and they could turn out to be dangerous this year. This is an absolute trial by fire, but it is also a great opportunity to open the season at home against a BCS Championship contender. For LSU, they need to win them all, and they might be good enough to do so. They aren’t going to be able to ease into their season, though. This is a very meaningful game where they will have to play well in a hostile environment to win. Expect the cow bells to be out in full force.

-UTAH AT OREGON STATE. This promises to be a good game between two teams who could possibly end up in the top 25 before it’s over. This is easily one of the more intriguing games of the first weekend. Both teams are bowl caliber teams, and both want to start their seasons off with a win. Both teams finished strong last year and return a lot of talent for this season, so it should be a good game.



BUY GAMES (Good Teams write the checks and Bad Teams cash the checks)

-WEBER STATE (nondiv1a) AT BOISE STATE. Weber State was picked to finish 6th in the Big Sky this year. Boise sees better competition in spring practice than they’ll see in this game.

-SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE (nondiv1) AT CINCINNATI. Cincinnati went to a bowl last year and finished with eight wins. They appear to be even better this year. SEMO was 4-7 last year and 2-6 in the Ohio Valley Conference. They will pose virtually no challenge.

-MURRAY STATE (nondiv1) AT LOUISVILLE. Louisville is a BCS Caliber team and Murray State is picked to finish 7th in the Ohio Valley Conference. This could quite possibly be the biggest mismatch of the entire college football season.

-BUFFALO AT RUTGERS. Rutgers should have very little trouble starting off 1-0. They are one of three teams that will seriously contend for the Big East Title.

-TULSA AT LOUISIANA MONROE. Tulsa is going through a major transition stage. Louisiana Monroe appears to be of a much lower caliber than the Golden Hurricane, but this is still a big game for Tulsa. They don’t want to start off the season with a loss. This would be a nice road win for a team who is talented, but also has a lot of question marks.




FRIDAY, AUGUST 31ST HIGHLIGHTED MATCHUPS

-WASHINGTON AT SYRACUSE. This is a big game because wins could be few and far between for both teams this season. Both appear to have good quarterbacks, and both have been getting better over the years, but I’d say that both are a long shot for a bowl this season, and winning this game is big if they want to get there.

-NAVY AT TEMPLE. Navy needs six wins to make the Poinsettia Bowl, and they shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up win today. Temple continues to rank as one of the worst 1A teams.



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st HIGHLIGHTED MATCH-UPS:

-SAN JOSE STATE AT ARIZONA STATE. San Jose State is an up and coming team out of the WAC who went to a bowl last year and could very easily get back to one this year. Arizona State is a solid team who should be able to win their first three games before facing Oregon State at home. This is a good test for them. They’re playing a bowl caliber team that they should be able to beat.

-TROY AT ARKANSAS. Troy appears to be the best team in the Sun Belt, but they shouldn’t be much of a match for Arkansas. Troy will probably enjoy cashing their paycheck much more than they’ll enjoy playing this game. As for Arkansas, this is the kind of game that’s good to schedule. It’s against a very beatable opponent that should end the season with a winning record, and perhaps a conference championship. That helps them out in the computers.

-KANSAS STATE AT AUBURN. Kansas State has shown some solid improvement over the past few seasons, and that should continue into this year. This is a very tough test for them against a nationally ranked caliber team that will likely be in the mix for the SEC West title, at least for a while. It’s a big game for two teams who are looking to go to a big time bowl and start off 1-0.

-ARIZONA AT BYU. Arizona is a team that has improved quite a bit over the last few years, and they should be able to get to a bowl game this year. BYU is very strong as well, but they also have some question marks on the offensive end. BYU is coming into this game with a ten game win streak dating back to last season. They also have an outside shot at making the BCS, but they need to win this game in order to keep that alive.

-WAKE FOREST AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). These are two of the favorites to win the Atlantic Division and advance to the ACC Title game, so this is a hugely important game right out of the gate. Wake Forest had a big year last year and appears to be strong once again this year. Boston College returns a ton of experience as well, so this should be a good one.

-TENNESSEE AT CALIFORNIA. A huge game between two BCS hopefuls. Tennessee won in a blowout last year, but Cal should have the advantage this year in playing at home. Many think Cal can sneak up on USC later this season, and this is a true test for them to see how good they really are. Erik Ainge’s pinky finger is bothering him on his throwing hand, and that could affect his play for Tennessee, but other than that these are two experienced teams that will likely be in midseason form.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Sun Belt). Middle Tennessee is one of the better teams in the conference, but they’ll be chasing Troy for the title and just one conference loss could be too much to overcome. Opening the season with a conference game on the road is never easy.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT GEORGIA. Georgia was a young team last year that struggled more than many expected, but they should be among the best in the East again this year. Oklahoma State has improved quite a bit as well, and this would be a huge start to their season if they could steal a win on the road against the Bulldogs.

-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT KANSAS. This is an interesting game because it will be exciting to see what one of the best teams from the MAC can do against a potential lower tier bowl team from the Big Twelve. A win for either team would be a great way to start the year.

-MISSISSIPPI AT MEMPHIS. It looks like it could be a long year for Memphis, but they generally play well against Ole Miss. Ole Miss faces a stacked SEC, so they need to take care of business in games like this if they want to make it to a bowl this year.

-ILLINOIS VS MISSOURI. This is the football version of the Braggin’ Rights Series, and like the basketball game, it is being played on neutral ground in Saint Louis, and it should be a fun one. Missouri is one of the favorites to win the Big Twelve North, but this is still a big game for a team that is trying to make a splash on the national stage. Illinois is continuing to improve under Ron Zook, and if they could pull the upset here it would be a huge step forward for the Illini.

-IOWA VS NORTHERN ILLINOIS. Northern Illinois has had some good teams recently, but they don’t appear to be all that strong this year. Iowa underachieved last season in the minds of many, including myself, but they could be a dangerous team this season. I look for them to win this one big today.

-GEORGIA TECH AT NOTRE DAME. Most aren’t giving Notre Dame much of a chance to contend for the BCS, but don’t be so quick to write them off. The recruiting class that will see the most minutes this season is one of the better ones Notre Dame has ever had. They aren’t all that experienced, but they do have quite a bit of talent. It wouldn’t be the first time Notre Dame began the season unranked and ended up playing in the BCS. Georgia Tech appears to have a strong team this year, and this is a huge game for them as far as making a splash on the national stage and building up their own BCS credentials.

-HOUSTON AT OREGON. Houston will have a new quarterback this season, but still appear to be one of the better teams in Conference USA. Oregon is a strong team as well who should make it to a bowl, but they don’t appear to be as strong as the teams at the top of the conference. It’s possible that one or both teams could end up surprising us this season. It would especially be a big win for Houston as far as building up the status of their program.

-UCLA AT STANFORD (Pac Ten). If it weren’t for USC, UCLA would probably be favored to win the Pac Ten. It’s never easy opening the season with a conference game on the road, but UCLA should be able to win this one without too much trouble. I could see them contending for a spot in a BCS Bowl this year.

-BAYLOR AT TCU. TCU has a huge game next week against Texas and does not want to get caught looking ahead. They have an outside shot at making the BCS, but they’ll have to pull off the upset next week and avoid stubbing their toes this week against old Southwest Conference rival Baylor. TCU’s defense is solid, but they may struggle to put points on the board.

-EAST CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA TECH. This should be a very emotional game for the Hokies given what their campus went through last April. I believe East Carolina should be able to make a bowl this season, but winning today would be nothing short of miraculous. Virginia Tech is a BCS caliber team that has a shot at playing their way into the BCS Title game.

-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT WEST VIRGINIA. West Virginia is another team that could find themselves in the BCS Title game. They are certainly a BCS caliber team. Western Michigan is one of the better teams in the MAC and it should be exciting to see what they do against a top five program, but I don’t think they have much of a chance of winning this one. It would be an unbelievable upset if they were to pull it off.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT WISCONSIN. This looks to be a big mismatch. Wisconsin will contend for the Big Ten title and looks to be a BCS caliber team. Washington State returns some good offensive players, and has a fantastic quarterback in Alex Brink, but I don’t think they have enough weapons to stay with Wisconsin on the road.

-VIRGINIA AT WYOMING. Virginia had a rough year last year, but really played well down the stretch. With a ton of talent coming back on both sides of the ball they should be able to make a bowl game this year. I’d go so far to say that they could surprise some people in the ACC.


BUY GAMES (Good Teams write the checks, and Bad Teams cash the checks)

-ARMY AT AKRON. I don’t know if this is technically a Buy Game, but Akron appears to be much better than Army. Akron wants to make sure they take care of business because it is basically a gimme game that gets them one step closer to bowl eligibility.

-WESTERN CAROLINA (nondiv1a) AT ALABAMA. WCU was 2-9 last year and poses little to no threat for Alabama.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT FLORIDA. Western Kentucky is in their transition season. Next year they’ll be a full fledged member of 1A. After today’s game, they may want to go back to 1AA. Florida should win in a romp.

-SACRAMENTO STATE (nondiv1a) AT FRESNO STATE. Fresno State has some big out of conference games on their schedule, but this certainly isn’t one of them. They have a very talented team and could end up surprising some people this year.

-NORTHERN COLORADO (nondiv1a) AT HAWAI’I. This is step one of Hawaii’s season, and for the most part they should be able to breeze through it and make a BCS Bowl.

-INDIANA STATE (nondiv1a) AT INDIANA. The Hoosiers have not been to a bowl since 1993, but look to be good enough to get there this year. It should be an emotional game seeing as how it is the first since the death of Terry Hoeppner.

-EASTERN KENTUCKY (nondiv1a) AT KENTUCKY. Kentucky went to a bowl last year and looks to be even better this year. Their schedule also appears to be tougher this season, but not this week.

-VILLANOVA (nondiv1a) AT MARYLAND. Maryland looks to be a solid bowl team and had a strong finish to the season last year. The schedule will get significantly tougher, but they should breeze through their first game.

-MARSHALL AT MIAMI, FL. Miami underwent a coaching change and the jury is still out on them for this season. After this game the jury will likely still be out. They appear to be way under matched.

-APPALACHIAN STATE (nondiv1a) AT MICHIGAN. Appalachian State won the 1AA championship last year and this should be a very exciting game for them, but they are little match for Michigan, who could end up winning the BCS Championship this year.

-UAB AT MICHIGAN STATE. It’s been frustrating for Michigan State in recent years, but with a new coach who brings a defensive mindset to the program things could change this year. They shouldn’t get too much trouble from a UAB team that appears to be toward the bottom of C-USA this year.

-BOWLING GREEN AT MINNESOTA. Minnesota should be able to make a bowl this season, but they need to take care of business in their OOC games. They have quite a bit of experience coming back on the defensive end.

-NEVADA AT NEBRASKA. Nebraska should be able to win this game without too much trouble. It gets harder for them next week when they travel to Wake Forest.

-YOUNGSTOWN STATE (nondiv1a) AT OHIO STATE. Is there really anything that needs to be said about this game??

-NORTH TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA. North Texas will struggle in the Sun Belt this year. Their starters wouldn’t have much of a chance against Oklahoma’s second and third string.

-FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AT PENN STATE. Florida International finished the season 0-12 last year, and will most likely be 0-1 this year after this game is over.

-EASTERN MICHIGAN AT PITTSBURGH. Not many people are giving Pitt much of a chance in the Big East this year. They haven’t been to a bowl game the last two seasons, and it looks as if they’ll struggle to get there this year. They are very talented, though. Whatever the problem is it’s not the recruiting.

-LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE AT SOUTH CAROLINA. South Carolina is a bowl caliber team, but they have a monster schedule this year in a tough SEC. They need to take care of business in this game because wins are going to be tough to come by later on.

-ELON (nondiv1a) AT SOUTH FLORIDA. South Florida should make a bowl this year, and could cause some trouble for the top half of the Big East.

-IDAHO AT USC. Idaho was much improved last season from the level they were playing at before. The problem was that they still stunk. They will be absolutely creamed today by top ranked USC.

-TENNESSEE MARTIN (nondiv1a) AT SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI. Southern Miss should be able to make a bowl this season. They shouldn’t get much of a challenge in their season opener today.

-ARKANSAS STATE AT TEXAS. Texas is favored by many to win the Big Twelve and possibly play their way into the BCS Title game. Arkansas State could challenge Troy for the Sun Belt Title, but they won’t challenge Texas today.

-MONTANA STATE AT TEXAS A&M. The Aggies have a really strong team this year. This game will look more like a practice than a real game.



MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD HIGHLIGHTED MATCH-UPS:

-FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON (ACC). This is a big conference game for two bowl caliber teams who are trying to make some noise on the national scene. Florida State’s offense was terrible last season and they’ll need to improve on that this year. Clemson really struggled down the stretch last year and lost a lot of their offensive weapons. Both teams should make it to a bowl game, but this is a big chance to start their season off with a lot of momentum.

-TEXAS TECH AT SMU. SMU has not been to a bowl since 1984. They appear to have a strong offense this year, and definitely have their program moving in the right direction. This is a huge opportunity for them to start the season off with a win against a named opponent, and that could go a long way toward SMU making a bowl this year. Texas Tech always has a potent offense, and this year doesn’t appear to be any different. This is a game that most would expect them to win, but it is a nice road test for them as well.

Great stuff