College Football Wake-Up: Week 2

After a long week, isn't it nice to kick back, relax, and watch some football? Today, we will enjoy college football one last time before the NFL throws out a full slate. (Check back later for news on tomorrow's games. For now, lets run down the schedule of what is happening today.

*-Rankings reflect Sports By Smith Poll

12:00-3:00

 

Cincinnati at 6 Michigan

Florida Atlantic at 9 Wisconsin

15 Louisville at North Carolina

Charlotte at 21 Kansas State

Northwestern at Duke

East Carolina at West Virginia

Buffalo at Army

Towson at Maryland

Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky

UT-Martin at Ole Miss

Iowa at Iowa State

Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech

Wake Forest at Boston College

Texas State at Colorado

 

3:00-7:00

 

UAB at Ball State

Fresno State at 1 Alabama

Pittsburgh at 4 Penn State

Delaware at 17 Virginia Tech

TCU at Arkansas

Tulane at Navy

Indiana at Virginia

Villanova at Temple

Savannah State at Appalachian State

Austin Peay at Miami (OH)

Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois

Howard at Kent State

Middle Tennessee State at Syracuse

Old Dominion at UMass

Western Michigan at Michigan State

Eastern Michigan at Rutgers

San Jose State at Texas

Abilene Christian at Colorado State

Indiana State at 24 Tennessee

Gardner-Webb at Wyoming

Central Michigan at Kansas

Alabama A&M at Vanderbilt

New Hampshire at Georgia Southern

Louisiana at Tulsa

Nebraska at Oregon

Hawai'i at 25 UCLA

Weber State at California

Marshall at North Carolina State

South Dakota at Bowling Green

Alabama State at Troy

Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Akron

 

7:00-11:59

 

12 Auburn at 2 Clemson

Toledo at Nevada

UNLV at Idaho

Southern at Southern Miss

North Texas at SMU

South Carolina at Missouri

Nicholls at Texas A&M

5 Oklahoma at 3 Ohio State

Chattanooga at 11 LSU

18 Georgia at 23 Notre Dame

Mississippi State at Louisiana Tech

Montana at 8 Washington

UT San Antonio at Baylor

Western Kentucky at Illinois

Rice at UTEP

New Mexico State at New Mexico

14 Stanford at 7 USC

Minnesota at Oregon State

Utah at BYU

Boise State at 19 Washington State

Houston at Arizona

San Diego State at Arizona State

 

Games Cancelled

 

Louisiana Monroe at 13 Florida State

16 Miami at Arkansas State

20 South Florida at Connecticut

Northern Colorado at 22 Florida

 

For the most part, a pretty exciting day of football. Check back after while and I'll let you know the Three Big Things to watch for this week.

 



Sports By Smith Top 25

As part of our blog, every Monday we plan to bring you our Top 25/ Seeing as the final game of the week was played on Monday, we are bringing it to you today. So let's look at who we think the best teams are. Previous rankings in parentheses.

 

 

1. Alabama 1-0 (1)

2. Clemson 1-0 (4)

3. Ohio State 1-0 (2)

4. Penn State 1-0 (6)

5. Oklahoma 1-0 (7)

6. Michigan 1-0 (11)

7. Southern Cal 1-0 (5)

8. Washington 1-0 (8)

9. Wisconsin 1-0 (9)

10. Oklahoma State 1-0 (10)

11. LSU 1-0 (13)

12. Auburn 1-0 (12)

13. Florida State 0-1 (3)

14. Stanford 1-0 (14)

15. Louisville 1-0 (16)

16. Miami 1-0 (18)

17. Virginia Tech 1-0 (21)

18. Georgia 1-0 (15)

19. Washington State 1-0 (24)

20. South Florida 2-0 (19)

21. Kansas State 1-0 (20)

22. Florida 0-1 (17)

23. Notre Dame 1-0 (NR)

24. Tennessee 1-0 (25)

25. UCLA 1-0 (NR)

Dropped from Poll:

22. West Virginia 0-1

23. Texas 0-1

Biggest Jump:

Michigan

 

Biggest Drop:

Florida State

 

Newcomers:

23 Notre Dame

25 UCLA

 

 

Agree, disagree, think we're crazy? Let us know. Its only Week 2, a lot will change.

Weekend Recap

With the conclusion of the Tennessee-Georgia Tech game, we are finished with the first full weekend of college football. And what a weekend it was! Upsets, blowouts, surprises, and disappointments; we had it all. Lets have a quick rundown of what all went on.

Biggest Surpise

 

The State of Texas

 

Every year, Texas is back. Every year, we're all tricked. The Longhorns got rocked at home in an upset victory for Maryland. Watching the game, one could ask themselves; "Is this an upset?" You wouldn't be alone. The Terps dominated the game. Texas struck first, but Maryland ran off 27 unanswered. The Longhorns would cut it to three twice after that before Maryland stretched out a 17-point lead, while cruising to a 10-point road win over the Longhorns. Not the ideal result for the debut of the Tom Herman era.

 

You'll notice we said "The State of Texas". Well, there's a reason for that. Baylor lost to FCS Liberty. FCS LIBERTY! This game was closer than the first we talked about, but the problem with that is it shouldn't have been. We hear of teams in FBS losing to FCS occasionally, but this is Baylor. A few years removed from playoff snub. Now they are the laughing stock of America.

 

Don't even get me started on Texas A&M. You're playing for your coaches job and what do you do? You blow a 34-point lead and lose the game. With 4:06 left in the third quarter, A&M was cruising to victory with a 44-10 lead. 44-10! Kevin Sumlin might not make it to the next game. You don't lose those.

 

 

 

Player of the Week

 

Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

 

The Good: Drew Lock set records for yards and TDs in a single Missouri football game. The Bad: The score against an FCS-team looked like a basketball game.

Player of the Week honors go to Drew Lock of Missouri. The junior quarterback completed 21-of-34 passes for a school-record 521 yards and 7 touchdowns. Normally, games like this against an inferior opponent are irrelevant, but Mizzou got all they wanted from Missouri State. The final score ended up being 72-43. Hence the basketball comment.

 

 

Story that Shouldn't be a Story

 

Injuries

 

Injuries are never a good thing. Star quarterback Deondre Francois for Florida State went out of their game against Alabama with an injury to his Patella Tendon. Francois is expected to miss the rest of the season. On the other side of the ball, Alabama lost a pair of linebackers in Terrell Lewis (elbow) and Christian Miller (Torn Biceps). Both will have surgery and are expected to be out for the year.

Sophomore quarterback Jacob Eason of the Georgia Bulldogs is expected to miss a considerable amount of time with a sprained knee ligament.

While injuries are apart of the game, the ones stated are huge blows to three teams with high expectations for the year. Georgia and Alabama should overcome, but Florida State's title chances might have just left.

 

 

That's all for our Weekend Recap. Check back later for the Sports By Smith Top 25 Poll!



Week 1 Predictions

Winners are in BOLD. At the bottom are the games I'll be taking action on.

Kent State at #5 Clemson

Akron at #6 Penn State

Maryland at #23 Texas

Ball State at Illinois

Wyoming at Iowa

Bowling Green at Michigan State

Missouri State at Missouri

California at North Carolina

Bethune-Cookman at #18 Miami

Youngstown State at Pittsburgh

Portland State at Oregon State

VMI at Air Force

North Carolina State at South Carolina

UTEP at #7 Oklahoma

#11 Michigan vs #17 Florida (Dallas, TX)

Temple at Notre Dame

Nevada at Northwestern

William & Mary at Virginia

Alabama A&M at UAB

Troy at Boise State

Stony Brook at #19 South Florida

Eastern Washington at Texas Tech

Kentucky at Southern Mississippi

Charleston Southern at Mississippi State

Western Michigan at #4 USC

North Carolina Central at Duke

James Madison at East Carolina

Albany at Old Dominion

Appalachian State at #15 Georgia

Miami (OH) at Marshall

Lamar at North Texas

Eastern Kentucky at Western Kentucky

Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech

Stephen F. Austin at SMU

UMass at Coastal Carolina

Liberty at Baylor

Southeast Missouri State at Kansas

Hampton at Ohio

Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana

Houston Baptist at Texas State

Central Arkansas at #20 Kansas State

Georgia Southern at #12 Auburn

#16 Louisville vs Purdue (Indianapolis, IN)

South Alabama at Ole Miss

Cal Poly at San Jose State

#3 Florida State vs #1 Alabama (Atlanta, GA)

Abilene Christian at New Mexico

Arkansas State at Nebraska

Jackson State at TCU

Northern Iowa at Iowa State

Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee State

Grambling at Tulane

Southern Utah at Oregon

UC Davis at San Diego State

Howard at UNLV

BYU vs #13 LSU (New Orleans, LA)

Incarnate Word at Fresno State

Montana State at #24 Washington State

Western Carolina at Hawai'i

Betting Spreads

Kentucky -11 over Southern Mississippi
Louisville -26 over Purdue
Vandy -3 over MTSU
Michigan -6 over Florida
Alabama -7.5 over Florida State

Record Straight up: 3-2 (.600)

Record vs Spread: 1-2 (.333)

Three Big Things

With two hours before the first games kickoff, let us take some time and discuss three things that you should pay close attention to.

• The New Red River Rivalry

While we are still weeks away from the Sooners and Longhorns facing off, it would be silly to think that this week's games don't play a big role in the new path the rivalry takes. For the first time since 1998, Bob Stoops will not be patrolling the sidelines for Boomer Sooner. Lincoln Riley makes his coaching debut after Stoops abruptly retired during the summer.
On the Texas side, Tom Herman makes his Longhorn debut after coming over from the Houston Cougars last year.
Both coaches inherit Top 25 programs that are expected to compete for the Big XII Title.
Trivia time! When was the last time that both Texas and Oklahoma both entered a new season with new coaches? You have to go all the way back to 1947 when Bud Wilkinson led the Sooners, and Blair Cherry was at the helm in Austin

• Michigan and Florida Square Off in the Jerry Dome

A battle of the minds will finally meet on the gridiron. For the past few weeks, mystery has shrowded both teams as they have each been hesitant to tip their hand to the other. Now that Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain have released their depth charts, we'll see it to believe it. Despite the mind games leading up to it, this game should be worth the wait. Michigan was close to a Playoff berth last year in a race that come down to the wire. While they are not the same team they were a year ago, you can bet they have the same goals.
Florida will be lucky to have enough players to field a team. McElwain has suspended a number of players including standouts from a year ago Antonio Callaway and Jordan Scarlett. Add that to the fact that the Gators are starting a redshirt freshman at quarterback in Feleipe Franks, this one looks one-sided.

• Florida State and Alabama Kick Off a Clash of the Titans

#1 vs #3 is usually left to a playoff matchup at the end of the season, but Alabama and Florida State have thrown out the rule book. Easily the most watched game of the weekend tonight, these two are squaring off in what might also be a prequel to a postseason matchup in late-December early-January. With both teams returning a ton, this will be a great game to watch.

What are your storylines for the weekend? Let us know in the comments below. Check back later for game predictions and bets.

What We Are Watching

Smith Family Tradition has always been to celebrate the opening day of college football. How do we do that? Well, I am glad that you have asked. Each year, a tailgate party is thrown on the yard where we grill out, play games, and watch football out in the yard. Two TVs are set up, and constantly have football on at all times. Yes, we bring the TVs outside.

This year is different. Without a game being played in Ireland to start the morning off right. We must wait until College Gameday comes on before we have anything to watch. That does not mean that we won't be out bright and early, no. You can be sure that even before the sun comes up, there will be a commotion in the yard that can only mean one thing: It's football season.

Let's take a look at what will be on for our viewing pleasure.

9:00

 

College GameDay

 

No Saturday is complete without a visit from our good buddies Reece, Kirk, and Coach. GameDay is a tradition with many people, and we are the same. For three hours while the meats are cooking, we will be welcoming back our old friends for another season.

 

 

12:00-3:00

 

Kent State at #5 Clemson (Main Screen)

Akron at #6 Penn State (Side Screen)

 

There's not much happening in the first block of football, but this viewing will show last year's champion and also one of last year's contenders opening their seasons at home. One might catch us flipping to Maryland at #23 Texas to check out the Longhorn's new coach,

 

 

3:30-8:00

 

Kentucky at Southern Miss (Main Screen)

#11 Michigan vs #17 Florida/Temple at Notre Dame (Side Screen)

 

In the second part of the day, we'll be watching our Wildcats as they travel to Hattiesburg looking to avenge their loss from a season ago. On the side screen, we hope to be alternating between the Michigan/Florida game and also Temple/Notre Dame.

 

 

8:00-?

 

#3 Florida State vs #1 Alabama

 

The weather has been getting cooler of late, so at this time, we'll likely move inside. Who wouldn't want to watch this game? Two of the Top 3 teams squaring off, on a neutral field, the first week of the season? Count us in!

 

 

As with everything, this schedule is subject to change. Best of luck to your teams, and enjoy this first weekend. Come back later and see who we think will win each of the matchups this week. But in the mean time, who are you watching today? How are you watching them? We would love to hear from you. Have a safe opening weekend!

College Football Wake-Up

Good Morning Readers! Saturday has finally made it. It is time for the first full weekend of college football, and we could not be more ecstatic! Stay tuned today for lots of material from us as we dive into the first full weekend of football. Let's take a look at the slate of games.

 

12:00-1:00

 

Kent State at #5 Clemson

Akron at #6 Penn State

Maryland at #23 Texas

Ball State at Illinois

Wyoming at Iowa

Bowling Green at Michigan State

Missouri State at Missouri

California at North Carolina

Bethune-Cookman at #18 Miami

 

1:00-3:00

 

Youngstown State at Pittsburgh

Portland State at Oregon State

VMI at Air Force

 

3:00-7:00

 

North Carolina State at South Carolina

UTEP at #7 Oklahoma

#11 Michigan vs #17 Florida (Dallas, TX)

Temple at Notre Dame

Nevada at Northwestern

William & Mary at Virginia

Alabama A&M at UAB

Troy at Boise State

Stony Brook at #19 South Florida

Eastern Washington at Texas Tech

Kentucky at Southern Mississippi

Charleston Southern at Mississippi State

Western Michigan at #4 USC

North Carolina Central at Duke

James Madison at East Carolina

Albany at Old Dominion

Appalachian State at #15 Georgia

Miami (OH) at Marshall

 

7:00-11:59

 

Lamar at North Texas

Eastern Kentucky at Western Kentucky

Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech

Stephen F. Austin at SMU

UMass at Coastal Carolina

Liberty at Baylor

Southeast Missouri State at Kansas

Hampton at Ohio

Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana

Houston Baptist at Texas State

Central Arkansas at #20 Kansas State

Georgia Southern at #12 Auburn

#16 Louisville vs Purdue (Indianapolis, IN)

South Alabama at Ole Miss

Cal Poly at San Jose State

#3 Florida State vs #1 Alabama (Atlanta, GA)

Abilene Christian at New Mexico

Arkansas State at Nebraska

Jackson State at TCU

Northern Iowa at Iowa State

Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee State

Grambling at Tulan

Southern Utah at Oregon

UC Davis at San Diego State

Howard at UNLV

BYU vs #13 LSU (New Orleans, LA)

Incarnate Word at Fresno State

Montana State at #24 Washington State

Western Carolina at Hawai'i

 

 

Full slate of games, as we have said. Check back later when we will tell you what we are watching, what to watch for, and how we're betting. Happy College Football!