I think Notre Dame will handle Nevada, but Colin Kaepernick is fun to watch. If Notre Dame is the same mediocre underachiever it has been the last few years, a team like Nevada can definitely clip them and that QB can absolutely turn it on.
I am loving that Virginia Tech-Alabama matchup. There is no "should win" in that game and I love that one of their seasons will pretty much be put off track immediately. I love Virginia Tech football, in general -- more and more every year. Frank Beamer is such a good coach; he always has talent, but his teams win by wearing people down. Special teams TDs, defensive plays, etc. I think they will benefit from Tyrod Taylor being QB all year without having to look over his shoulder for Sean Glennon, who just wasn't that good. Losing Darren Evans for the season may not hurt that much; I don't know much about him, but I have had a few people who do follow swearing up and down that David Wilson, their true-freshman RB is electric; where Evans was going to be a downhill, wear-em-down runner, Wilson could step in and be an open-field, big numbers guy. I am genuinely excited by this game. Virginia Tech getting 7-points in this game seems unreal to me. I think it's a coin flip, unless there is something I am really missing. At +245, I think VT is a great moneyline bet (not that I actually look at those kinds of things). You have a 50/50 shot in my estimation, but you are getting much more than a 50/50 payout if they win.
Texas is a 40 1/2 point favorite (I know, I know, but I can't help but look) against Louisiana-Monroe. I think they will cover easily.
Cal-Maryland is intriguing. Cal is going to be really good this year and could make USC sweat finally. Maryland lost a lot of starters and is going to be a bottom-tier ACC team. Maryland beat them last year in Maryland. Now Cal has them out west. They could pour it on.
LSU-Washington intrigues me, too. Everyone is so high on LSU, and I think they will win this game, but Washington minus Willingham and all the injuries they had last year is going to be an improved team--better than people think. Jake Locker is still a quality QB and Sark can coach QBs. Maybe not the LSU game, but there will be teams sleeping on Washington and they could be a 4, 5 or 6 win type of team this year. I also need to be convinced about LSU. I just don't think Les Miles is that good a coach. They will always have better talent that 98 percent of the teams they play, but they never just put their foot on anyone's throat.
I always love looking at the five to 10 worst teams in D-1 every year and seeing how they line up early in the season. The stinker game of the week on Saturday is going to be Army-Eastern Michigan. It could set a record for ineptitude. North Texas has probably been the worst D-1 team the last several years. They open against a Ball State team that lost the QB (Nate Davis), Head Coach (Brady Hoke), 4/5 of the offensive line and three of their four good receivers. The new coach Stan Parrish is 62 and has a career record of 2-31-1 @ Marshall and Kent State. I won't get into an analysis of North Texas, because who cares? But they could be a bit better this year. This is no gimme for Ball State, which is not the same team that rolled last year before falling apart at the end. And they are giving 17 points.
God, I love this time of year. It's like Christmas.
