Rambling's 2013 Week 6 CFB Picks

Putting out my Thursday night picks right now and I'll have my saturday picks out later.

Thursday, October 3rd, 2013:
WKU at ULM, 6:30 pm ESPNU, A Thursday night matchup of two Sun Belt heavyweights Bobby Petrino and company head to Monroe to take on a Warhawks team that just lost Keith Browning for the year. Both teams have had flashes of BCS busting abilities but with lows that suggest a bowl game is guaranteed. I think the Hilltoppers prevail in this one on the road but it should be an exciting one. Winner: WKU ATS: ULM +7.5
#12 UCLA at Utah, 9:00 pm FOX Sports 1, The Bruins head to Salt Lake City for a Pac-12 matchup with a Utah team that has been better than expected and doesn't have a horrible loss on the schedule. This last bit is what sets this team apart from the last few iterations and that is progress in itself, but this team has wins over BYU and Utah State who are good teams that have tripped them up lately (not the bad losses I was talking about). UCLA for it's part has a star on their hands in the form of Brent Hundley and a defense that is working in a few new starters but has made good adjustments. I think Utah gives a stronger challenge than many expect but they UCLA offense will be too much in the end. Winner: UCLA ATS: UCLA +7

Saturday, October 5th, 2013:
#7 Louisville at Temple, 11:00 am ESPN3,
#25 Maryland at #8 Florida State, 11:00 am ESPN,
#20 Texas Tech at Kansas, 11:00 Fox Sports 1,
Georgia State at #1 Alabama, 11:21 am ESPN3,
#3 Clemson at Syracuse, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2,
#6 Georgia at Tennessee, 2:30 pm CBS,
Georgia Tech at #14 Miami (FL), 2:30 pm ESPNU,
Minnesota at #19 Michigan, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2,
Kansas State at #21 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm ABC,
#23 Fresno State at Idaho, 4:00 pm,
#2 Oregon at Colorado, 5:00 pm Pac-12 Network,
#10 LSU at Mississippi State, 6:00 pm ESPN,
TCU at #11 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm FOX,
Arkansas at #18 Florida, 6:00 pm ESPN2,
#24 Ole Miss at Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPNU,
Kentucky at #13 South Carolina, 6:30 pm ESPN3,
#22 Arizona State vs Notre Dame, 6:30 pm NBC,
#4 Ohio State at #16 Northwestern, 7:00 pm ABC,
West Virginia at #17 Baylor, 7:00 pm Fox Sports 1,
#15 Washington at #5 Stanford, 9:30 pm ESPN,

Rambling's 2013 Week 5 CFB Picks

An easy week straight up last week was very disapointing against the spread as I went 5-9 ATS, but a resounding 14-0 straight up to take my totals to 37-29-2 and 58-10 respectively. This weeks slate of games is much better than in week 4 and should provide good matchups Thursday and Friday along with the slate after the 11:00 kickoffs on Saturday. Withouth further ado then, let's get to the picks. 

Thursday, September 26^th, 2013:

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 6:30 pm ESPN, Virginia Tech travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech, to help sort out who will be the biggest contender to Miami in the Coastal division. Tech is already 2-0 and has a leg up but the Virginia Tech defense will be one of if not the toughest test for a Tech offensive that leans heavily run. Virginia Tech's aspirations for a division title will rest solely on it's ability to produce any kind of positive on offense. Logan Thomas has shown an inability to grow after a promising season two years ago and a once vaunted rushing attack is little more than shadow of what it once was. Winner: Georgia Tech ATS: Georgia Tech -7

Friday, September 27^th, 2013:

Utah State at San Jose State, 8:00 pm ESPN, These are two teams that have been consistantly working themselves into a more prominant place in the non-BCS hierarchy. San Jose State features David Fales one of the most watched non-BCS quarterbacks in the country and a player that truly impressed as a councelor at the Elite 11 camps this off-season. Fales will need some help from his supporting cast that does not seem to be up to par from the past couple of seasons. Utah State is trying to prove that their recent success wasn't just a produt of Gary Anderson and the way he ran the program. This should be a very good test for both teams as they look to challenge Boise State and Fresno State respectively in the MWC. Winner: Utah State ATS: San Jose State -9.5 (really like this bet if it gets to the key number of 10)

Saturday, September 28^th, 2013:

#11 Oklahoma State at West Virginia, 11:00 am ESPN, When West Virginia moved to the Big XII this would have been harrolded as a contest between two teams looking to stake a claim at challenging the big two for conference supremecy, but WVU has plummeted back to earth after moving to the confernce. This game is an after-thought this week and should do little but affirm the trajectories of these two programs, with the Cowboys looking to keep the shit righted heading towards a showdown with the Sooners later in the year. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: West Virginia +19

#12 South Carolina at UCF, 11:00 am ABC, South Carolina travels south to take on a UCF team that will pose a better than average test of the Gamecocks defense. UCF's offense has looked legit through the first few weeks of the season and Blake Bortles and company should be jacked up to throw a few jabs at an SEC foe coming to visit. For South Carolina's part if they can limit their mistakes on offense they should be able to contain the Golden Knights offense and leave with a solid road win. Winner: South Carolina ATS: UCF +7

#15 Miami (FL) at USF, 11:00 am ESPNU, This game is already over, USF is really bad. Winner: Miami (FL) ATS: Miami (FL) -19

Wake Forest at #3 Clemson, 2:30 pm ESPNU, Clemson came, oh so very close to Clemsoning last week but Wake shouldn't pose to much of a threat to the Tigers hopes of staying undefeated early in the year, especially at home. Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson -28

#6 LSU at #9 Georgia, 2:30 pm CBS, LSU heads to Athens and between the hedges to take on a Georgia team that has a dominant run game with Gurley and Marshall and a QB that performs at an exceptional rate at home. The Georgia defense should provide less of a challenge than their offense but a young unit has a lot of talent. LSU for it's part has one of the deepest running back stables in the country, a very good O-line and a QB in Mettenberger that has made huge strides under Cam Cameron's tuteledge. On defense the Tigers have reloaded once again, a young secondary has performed well and the depth up front is truly impressive. I admit that I believe LSU is the better team but Georgia plays exceptionally well at home. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU +3

#8 Florida State at Boston College, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Much like Clemson's game last week on the road at North Carolina State this one seems cut and dry. With the play of Winston and the Seminoles offense and the ineptitued of the BC to put too much together lately this one should be a cake walk but Florida State has been known to "Clemson" at least once a season and on the road in a game without much at stake seems like a very FSU place to do just that. Winner: Florida State ATS: Boston College +22.5

#14 Oklahoma at #22 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, The Sooners and the Fighting Irish meat in South Bend for a matchup that has me stumped about what kind of game it will be. Notre Dame won last seasons matchup and in dominant fashion but the run game just isn't there and Rees has been inconsistant at best. Oklahoma's best unit is on defense where they have been surprisingly stout and an offensive attack that seems to have added a second dimension with the Belldozer at QB. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Notre Dame +3.5

#21 Ole Miss at #1 Alabama, 5:30 pm ESPN, Alabama hasn't looked like the best team in the country this season but they haven't looked worse than top 5 and even that may be a stretch. They are still one of the most consistant teams in the country with a couple weaknesses. The two biggest are the cornerbacks and the offensive line where attrition of graduations and drafted players have left and young players have had to step up. Ole Miss is much improved but if they keep this anywhere close to a two score game they have done well in this game. Winner: Alabama ATS: Alabama -14

#10 Texas A&M at Arkansas, 6:00 pm ESPN2, Texas A&M's offense should put up points in droves against Arkansas but A&M's defense is a liability. Arkansas should be able to run the ball at a weak defense but they don't have the firepower or the defense to make this one terribly close. Winner: Texas A&M ATS: (No line on this game but anything under a touchdown I'd take)

Arizona at #16 Washington, 6:00 pm FOX, This game would be much more intriguing if it was being played at Arizona but the Wildcats have not made enough strides on defense to make much of a game of this. Washington comes into this game wanted to prove the Boise game wasn't just a one hit wonder. Winner: Washington ATS: Washington -10

#20 Florida at Kentucky, 6:00 pm ESPNU, This one shouldn't pose too much of a challenge for the Gators, but a defense that is losing talented players at a startling rate to injuries is going to have to come together quickly for the Gators to stay in the divsional race. Kentucky for it's part won't be much of a problem but could use a good showing here to cement some verbal commitments. Winner: Florida ATS: Kentucky +13.5

#23 Wisconsin at #4 Ohio State, 7:00 pm ABC, Wisconsin heads to Columbus, for what is a burgeoning rivalry game between the Bucks and the Badgers. Braxon Miller is back but Kenny Guiton has played well enough to be listed as co-starter and both are expected to play. On defense Ohio State hasn't seen the type of running game that Wisconsin boasts but a young front seven has shown growth against lesser competition. Wisoconsin is still thin in the defensive backfield but a front seven lead by Chris Borland and Beau Allen should pose a good test of the Buckeyes offense. On offense the Badgers boast two dynamic talents at running back with Senior James White and Sophomore Melvan Gordon who have helped lead Wisconsin to an average of 350 yards rushing per game against an admittedly below average early slate. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Wisconsin +7 

#5 Stanford at Washington State, 9:00 pm ESPN, Stanford travels to Pullman to take on a Mike Leach squad that has been decidedly competitve this season no matter what the win-loss record may say. Stanford still wins this one easily but it should be a nice conference primer for a Cardinal squad that has looked less than stellar so far in the non-conference slate. Winner: Stanford ATS: Washington State +10

California at #2 Oregon, 9:30 pm Pac-12 Network, Oregon is on a blistering pace this year once again and welcome California and it's sieve like defense. Cal should put up some points, but don't expect this one to be close past half time, if at all. Winner: Oregon ATS: Cal +37.5

USC at Arizona State, 9:30 pm ESPN2, USC heads to Tempe to take on what looks to be the second best team in the Pac-12 South. Arizona State boasts a, controversial, win over Wisconsin and a team that has taken great strides in two years under Todd Graham. USC for it's part is feeling the sanctions it was placed under while getting sub-par quarterback play and what now wholeheartedly needs to be considered at best average caoching from Lane Kiffin on offense. I think USC is better than what it has shown so far this season but I'm not sure this team has played well enough to endear any confidence to get the road win this week. Winner: Arizona State ATS: Arizona State -5.5 

#25 Fresno State at Hawaii, 11:00 pm, Fresno comes off a hard fought victory over long time thorn in the side Boise State, but a trip to Hawaii should heal all wounds from last week. Hawaii is better than expected but not exactly great. Winner: Fresno State ATS: Fresno State -18.5

Rambling's 2013 Week 4 CFB Picks

Three weeks into the season and I'm sitting at 44-10 straight up and 32-20-2 against the spread. This weeks slate is a bit of a dud but there are some intriguing games that should tell us more about some of the darkhorses in the country. Enjoy week 4. 

Thursday, September 19th, 2013:

#3 Clemson at North Carolina State, 6:30 pm ESPN, The line on this game is 14 and that seems a bit low, which makes you think Vegas knows something we don't. I will say this though my set of numbers independent of my own thoughts bears out right around there as well. I think Clemson outpaces the Wolfpack and without the aid of a look ahead game on the schedule for Clemson this one should be pretty easy. Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson -14

Friday, September 20th, 2013:

Boise State at Fresno State, 8:00 pm ESPN, The two best teams in the Mountain West meet up this week in what looks like a prequel to the conferences championship game in December. Fresno State comes in boastin an unblemished record and a win over a solid if unspectacular Rutgers team. Boise State got absolutely shelacked by Washington in week one, but the Huskies may be much better than most of us expected this season. Boise has followed that lone loss by putting the smackdown on teams they are expected too. This one has all the makings of a classic and Fresno State could use this matchup to show the country what they are about this season. Winner: Fresno State ATS: Fresno State -3

Saturday, September 21st, 2013:

Florida International at #7 Louisville, 11:00 am EPSN3, Louisville welcomes FIU this week to continue padding the win column without a challenge. Bridgewater and company look as good as advertised but we won't really see them tested much as we head into conference play. Winner: Louisville ATS: FIU +43
North Texas at #9 Georgia, 11:21 am ESPN3, Georgia welcomes North Texas to Athens where North Texas will get a nice paycheck and a loss. Not much to see here. Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia -32.5
Tennessee at #19 Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, Tennessee travels to the Swamp for what figures to be one of the best line matchups of the year. The Vols have one of the best five man fronts in college football and Florida has recruited well up front and they are strong again this season. Winner: Florida ATS: Tennessee +17
Michigan State at #22 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, Expect a defensive slugfest and a really bad Spartans offense to make this look like 12 A.D. but Tommy Rees plus their defense should keep it close. Winner: Notre Dame ATS: Notre Dame -5
Purdue at #24 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Purdue has caused fits the last couple of seasons for Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Boliermakers come to Camp Randall off a close loss to ND and with Wisconsin still thinking about a controversial loss in Tempe. This one will be closer than expected but the Badgers run game is too strong for the Black and Gold. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Purdue +24
ULM at #20 Baylor, 3:00 pm FOX Sports 1, ULM visits Baylor and the dynamic for this years game is a bit different. ULM isn't coming off a victory over a FBS opponent and Baylor's offense looks like it may be better than last years team, which is scary. ULM may keep it close early but that Baylor offense will get going in the second half and prove too much for the Warhawks. Winner: Baylor ATS: ULM +29
Colorado State at #1 Alabama, 6:00 pm ESPN2, Colorado State and head coach Jim McElwain comes back to Bama to take on his old boss, Nick Saban. It will be a bloodbath but good on Saban for playing former coaches. Winner: Alabama ATS: Colorado St. +40
#23 Arizona State at #5 Stanford, 6:00 pm FOX, This may be the most interesting game of the weekend if not the best game. Stanford hasn't played anyone this season but had a scare last week against Army. Arizona State had a controversial win versus Wisconsin but had trouble slowing down the running game and that could be trouble versus a strong Stanford front. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford - 6
SMU at #10 Texas A&M, 6:00 pm ESPNU, SMU travels to Texas A&M and this will be a blood bath. A&M has way too much firepower and SMU has struggled for a couple years now on offense. Winner: Texas A&M ATS: SMU +28.5
Texas State at #25 Texas Tech, 6:00 pm, Texas State heads to Texas Tech this week and although I think Tech wins pretty easily I think State is good enough to surprise some people and with the spread as big as it is, well, I'll take the points. Winner: Texas Tech ATS: Texas State +27.5
Auburn at #6 LSU, 6:45 pn ESPN, Auburn travels to LSU and although they are showing signs of improvement in Malzahn's first season as the Tigers head coach they don't have the horses up front to beat an excellent LSU defense. The LSU offesnse has shown strides especially in the passing game where Mettenberger has been efficient if not spectacular. Winner: LSU ATS: Auburn +17.5
#15 Michigan at Connecticut, 7:00 pm ABC, Michigan heads to UCONN after a disappointing showing against Akron but they won and head to take on the Huskies undefeated. The Huskies lost to Towson and Maryland so yeah. Winner: Michigan ATS: Michigan -18
New Mexico State at #13 UCLA, 9:30 Pac-12 Network, Coming off a big win on the road against Nebraska the Bruins may have a bit of a letdown versus the Aggies but they won't be anywhere close to losing. Winner: UCLA ATS: New Mexico State +43

Rambling's 2013 Week 3 CFB Picks

Week three here and there are a couple games which will give us clearer hierarchies in conferences. 

Thursday, September 12th, 2013:

#24 TCU at Texas Tech, 6:30 pm ESPN, TCU heads to Lubbock this week after a win over Prairie View A&M. Texas Tech comes it at 2-0 on the year with wins over SMU and SF Austin, and Kingsbury is off to a good start. Casey Pachall is out for TCU after breaking his arm last week but Boykins should be a more than serviceable replacement. Tech should make strides each week but year one portends to be a bit rocky for the Red Raiders. Winner: TCU ATS: Texas Tech +3.5

Saturday, September 14th, 2013:

#5 Stanford at Army, 11:00 am CBS Sports Network, Army isn't very good once again but this is a cross country early game for Stanford and that alone could keep it closer than expected. Stanford took care of San Jose State in the first game of the season last week, but they won't have much trouble with Army this week. Winner: Stanford ATS: Army +29.5
#7 Louisville at Kentucky, 11:00 am ESPN, Just another in a long line of truly "difficult" games for Louisville. Kentucky should improve under the tutelage of Stoops but it won't be this year and it won't be in this game. Teddy Bridgewater is the real deal but he won't get to show it against a good defense until late in the season or the bowl game. Winner: Louisville ATS: Louisville -13
Akron at #11 Michigan, 11:00 am BTN, Akron travels to the Big House to play a Michigan team straight off a prime time in against Notre Dame. Akron is a bottom of the league MAC team and Michigan can lay claims to best in the Big Ten at the moment, but this game feels like a close one for two quarters before Michigan pulls away. Winner: Michigan ATS: Akron +38
Tulsa at #14 Oklahoma, 11:00 am ESPN2, Tulsa is expected to be one of the best teams in the revamped Conference USA but they won't have the firepower to bust the Oklahoma defense. Oklahoma's offense is still a work in progress but Blake Bell gets his first start and we'll see if his athleticism brings a new dynamic to the offense. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Oklahoma -24
#16 UCLA at #23 Nebraska, 11:00 am ABC, UCLA travels east for an 11:00 game which is a concern for the Bruins, cross country games in general are hard enough but playing a game at 9:00 am to your body is always a tricky situation. This game should mirror last years game in style of play, however and that is a good thing for fans because it should mean 60 minutes of offenses going back and forth trading blows. The Huskers defense showed some life last week against Southern Miss, while UCLA took it to Nevada but this will be the best and truest test for either team in this young season. Winner: Nebraska ATS: Nebraska -4
#1 Alabama at #6 Texas A&M, 2:30 pm CBS, The game of the week, and one of the most anticipated games of the year kicks off at 2:30 in College Station this Saturday. A rematch of the Aggies thrilling upset last season that ruined a perfect season for the Tide. There are two major differences with this season's iteration of the game, first off the Alabama offensive line is not quite as good as least years world beaters and showed significant growing pains week 1 against Virginia Tech. Secondly, the A&M defense is young and got knocked around by Rice. This game will come down to whichever unit can better take advantage of the others weakness, and I believe more in the talent on Bama's line than on the Aggie's defense. Winner: Alabama ATS: Texas A&M +8
Tennessee at #2 Oregon, 2:30 pm ABC, Tennessee travels to Oregon to take on a Ducks' team that may have taken a half step back on offense but is still supremely dangerous. Tennessee on the other hand does not have the offensive firepower to keep up with this team. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon -27.5
Nevada at #10 Florida State, 2:30 pm ESPN, Nevada comes to Tallahassee for a paycheck and a loss but they should be improved this season but this won't be the game to showcase that. The main focus on the FSU side will be Jameis Winston's encore performance. Winner: Florida State ATS: Florida State -33
#19 Washington at Illinois, 5:00 pm BTN, Washington heads to Chicago this week to take on the surprisingly 2-0 Fighting Illini of Illinois. Washington impressed week one with a throttling of Boise State and gave the appearance to taken that much anticipated step up in the Steve Sarkisian era. Illinois has been better behind improved play of Scheelhaas and a new offense. I think Washington is too much for Illinois but the future looks better for both than a few weeks ago. Winner: Washnington ATS: Washington -10
#4 Ohio State at California, 6:00 pm FOX, Ohio State heads west to take on a California team that won't resemble the team they beat last year in the Horshoe. This years Cal team under Sonny Dykes runs the Air Raid and Groff has had a fine start to his debut season at QB. Ohio State is by far the more talented team in the game, but much like last seasons game this one will be closer than expected. Winner: Ohio State ATS: Cal +16
Kent State at #8 LSU, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Should be another cake walk for LSU as they get Kent State in town, in fact the most interesting thing in this game is to see Dri Archer against elite talent on the other end. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -37
Vanderbilt at #13 South Carolina, 6:00 pm ESPN, South Carolina is coming off a tough loss to Georgia on the road, but much like Georgia last week the Gamecocks come back home to face a conference foe. Vanderbilt had a rough week 1 again this season with a close loss to a conference foe, this week South Carolina gives them another tough test. Winner: South Carolina ATS: South Carolina -13.5
#21 Notre Dame at Purdue, 7:00 pm ABC, I think Notre Dame is gonna whoop up on Purdue but I've thought that the last two seasons and Purdue has had chances to beat Notre Dame late in both of those games. This season's Purdue team however doesn't have an offense and ND is very strong on D so, third times a charm I guess. Winner: Notre Dame ATS: Notre Dame -20.5
#25 Ole Miss at Texas, 7:00 pm LHN, Ole Miss travels to Texas to face a team that last year put up 66 points on them, and last week gave up mondo yards to BYU on the ground. Ole Miss is undoubtedly better this season than last and Texas has shown weakness especially defending the option. With a new defensive coordinator in the much maligned Greg Robinson, I don't think anyone knows what to expect out of Texas. Winner: Ole Miss ATS: Ole Miss +2.5
Western Michigan at #17 Northwestern, 8:00 pm BTN, Western Michigan is really bad again this season and Northwestern looks poised for it's best in a great while and this one shouldn't change our opinion of either. Northwestern's two headed monster should be able to put up points in bunches and that's a good sign. Winner: Northwestern ATS: Northwestern -31
#20 Wisconsin at Arizona State, 9:00 pm ESPN, In one of the best under card games of Bama-A&M week Wisconsin heads west to take on the Sun Devils in a late night brawl. This one should be a contrast in styles between the spread 'em out Sun Devils and the Power-I based Badgers. The key in this one will be how Wisconsin handles the heat and tempo of the ASU offense and how disruptive Will Sutton is to Melvan Gordon and James White when Wisconsin is on O. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Wisconsin +5.5
Oregon State at Utah, 9:00 pm FOX Sports 1, I added this match-up into this weeks picks because it intrigues me, because of it's implication for the Pac-12. The results of this game will give us a much better idea of what the second tier of the Pac-12 will look like. Oregon State was in that position last season but early stumbles have brought this season's Beavers under question but Utah has started strong and poses a serious threat for the first time in since joining the Pac-12. Winner: Utah ATS: Utah -3

Rambling's 2013 Week 2 CFB Picks Review

I going to eschew writing a review this week to focus on next and figure out a new way to write up my weekly review. I am not a big fan of the review my picks format and am thinking about doing a more freelance wander around the week. Will be back Wednesday night to write up week 3.

Rambling's Week 2 2013 CFB Picks

Here we are in week 2 of the season, week saw me go 20-2 straight up and 15-7 against the spread. Week 2 is a bit of a light week as there are a lot of cupcakes on the schedule but there are still a lot of quality games. 

Saturday, September 7th, 2013:

#12 Florida at Miami (FL), 11:00 am ESPN, Florida heads to the Orange Bowl to take on Miami who is coming off whooping Sun Belt Florida schools. Florida took care of Toledo and gets a few suspended pieces back for this match-up. Miami should give the Gators some problems but a stout front seven for Florida will be the difference in this game and Florida scores just enough to win on the road. Winner: Florida ATS: Miami (FL) +3
#13 Oklahoma State at UTSA, 11:00 am FOX Sports 1, This game is going to be closer than people think because UTSA has an underrated squad in it's second year in FBS. Oklahoma State still wins and more than likely by two to three touchdowns but I'll take the points. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: UTSA +26.5
#2 Oregon at Virginia, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Virginia showed off this season's improvements against BYU in week one but they travel east to face a much bigger challenge this week with Oregon coming to town. Oregon rolled Nicholls State and I think Mark Helfrich keeps the good honeymoon feelings flowing. Oregon wins big. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon -22
San Diego State at #3 Ohio State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, San Diego State lost to an FCS team and not one of the top tier ones and Ohio State has something left to prove after Buffalo. Ohio State rolls in this one. Winner: Ohio State ATS: Ohio State -27.5
Buffalo at #23 Baylor, 2:30 pm ESPNU, Speaking of Buffalo they head to Baylor to face a whole different type of offensive attack. Baylor presents a new challenge to the Buffalo secondary and will stretch a lest talented team. Kahlil Mack should be a force once again in the middle for the Bulls none-the-less and this should be another fun game involving Buffalo. Winner: Baylor ATS: Buffalo +27.5
#6 South Carolina at #11 Georgia, 3:30 pm ESPN, Georgia heads home to welcome South Carolina after a slugfest with Clemson. Georgia's offense sputtered late in the game in that close loss and the offensive line got pushed around by the Clemson front four. South Carolina routed North Carolina and there two lines should be able to control this game especially on offense against a young Georgia defense that will need a few weeks seasoning. Winner: South Carolina ATS: South Carolina +3.5
Syracuse at #19 Northwestern, 5:00 pm BTN, Syracuse put up a very good fight last week against Penn State and there is no reason to think they shouldn't as well this week against Northwestern. Northwestern look very good against California last week but suffered a few key injuries but this week may not be the week where those are felt the most. Northwestern should be able to throw on Syracuse as Penn State had some success there last week and I think they take care of business. Winner: Northwestern ATS: Northwestern -10.5
Southern Miss at #22 Nebraska, 5:00 pm BTN, Nebraska wins but you'll feel queasy for three and a half quarters and there will be lots of points. Winner: Nebraska ATS: Southern Miss +28.5
UAB at #9 LSU, 6:00 pm ESPNU, I expect nothing less than LSU to role in this game, especially if the new offense isn't an abarition. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -34.5
#15 Texas at BYU, 6:00 pm ESPN2, This game is gonna be real ugly for about a half as the Longhorn offense and Cougars defense trade blows, but then sometime in the third quarter there will be a 8 minute burst from Texas and that's all there needs to be. Winner: Texas ATS: Texas -6.5
West Virginia at #16 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm FOX, West Virginia looks like a team that is going to keep regressing in a new conference. Last week the Mountaineers almost laid an egg against an FCS opponent and this week they head to Norman. Oklahoma looked better than many expected when it laid the wood against last years darling ULM and seems to be transitioning nicely from the Landry Jones era. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Oklahoma -20
#14 Notre Dame at #17 Michigan, 7:00 pm ESPN, Neither one of these teams match-ups told us anything about the upcoming seasons, as each played cupcakes. Michigan comes into this game with continued questions about the strength of their defense and whether they have enough new weapons on offense. Notre Dame comes into the sesaon with the Tommy Rees questions that stem from his last starting stint two years ago. Mr. Rees aquitted himself nicely last year in spot opportunities in tight games. This should be a good game that illuminates a lot about both teams. Winner: Michigan ATS: Michigan -4 (Maybe)
Washington State at #25 USC, 9:30 pm FOX Sports 1, This game strikes me much like the Hawaii game, USC won't put it away in the fourth quarter but the game will never be in doubt against an improving Wazzou team that played well last week versus Auburn. Winner: USC ATS: Washington State +15.5
San Jose State at #5 Stanford, 10:00 pm Pac-12 Network, A coaching change for San Jose State doesn't seem to have dampened the good feelings around the program but a trip to Stanford will put them on hold for one week. This is Stanford's season opener and we'll get to see what improvements Sophomore Kevein Hogan will bring to the table and what is left in the stable at TE. Stanford rolls here but don't overlook SJSU going forward. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford -26

There you go enjoy week 2 I'll be back here Monday or Tuesday with the weekly recap.

Rambling's 2013 Week 1 CFB Picks Review

Thursday, August 29th, 2013:

North Carolina at #6 South Carolina, 5:00 pm ESPN,  South Carolina came out of the gae fast with 17 points in the first quarter and the key unit on the field the entire game was the Gamecocks offensive line. They overpowered a beleagured North Carolina d-line in a sweltering heat. on the other side of the ball Clowney wasn't the expected force and much was made of him being tired, it was a muggy hot night, I'll reserve judgement on Clowney til' mid season. For North Carolina's part they put a good effort in and were pretty much what we expected a good team but not going to hold up against a top tier opponent. Winner: South Carolina 27-10 ATS: South Carolina -11

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 8:15 pm ESPN, This was an exciting game from start to finish and pitted two pretty evenly matched football teams. Vanderbilt took the early lead and look to have a pretty good grip on play but Hugh Freeze and company battled all game and put themselves in position to win. With two touchdowns in the last two minutes this game didn't disappoint, this game didn't give us too many answers on either team and they remain very intriguing squads this season. Winner: Vanderbilt Ole Miss 39-35 ATS: Vanderbilt +3.5

#24 USC at Hawaii, 10:00 pm CBS Sports Net, Nothing too important happened here, USC won without a lot of worry and Hawaii gave a good fight but we won't know much about either team until conference play starts up. Winner: USC 30-13 ATS: Hawaii +23

Saturday, August 31st, 2013:

Buffalo at #2 Ohio State, 11:00 am ESPN2, This one ended up closer than many expected it but the lone touchdown was a great play by standout Buffalo linebacker Kahlil Mack. You'll see people opine over a "close" contest with Buffalo but I thought they handled it pretty well. Winner: Ohio State 30-10 ATS: Ohio State -36

UMASS at #23 Wisconsin, 11:00 am BTN, Not much to say about this blowout but both Gordon and White looked explosive. Winner: Wisconsin 45-0 ATS: UMASS +44.5

Toledo at #10 Florida, 11:21 am ESPN3, This one was closer than the line expected but right about what I was expecting, Florida to put up some points on sheer difference of talent but pulling away late. Winner: Florida 24-6 ATS: Toledo +24

Rice at #7 Texas A&M, 12:00 pm ESPN,  Too much made of everything that Manziel did and unfortunately it's only week one. The defense need to get better and Rice will put up points this year. Winner: Texas A&M 52-31 ATS: Texas A&M -27

Mississippi State vs #13 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, As SBNation's Bill Connelly has pointed out Oklahoma State's defense is much better on a per play basis than many think and a powerhouse performance on that side of the ball opened a lot of eyes on this Cowboys team. Winner: Oklahoma State 21-3 ATS: Oklahoma State -12.5

Temple at #14 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, Nothing to see here, next week will tell us more. Winner: Notre Dame 28-6 ATS: Notre Dame -29.5

Central Michigan at #17 Michigan, 2:30 pm BTN, See, Notre Dame review above. Winner: Michigan 59-9 ATS: Michgan -31.5

Northern Illinois at Iowa, 2:30 pm BTN, Oh Iowa, you had the game all but wrapped up to at least milk it to overtime but a costly turnover gave NIU the game winning field goal try. The good news out of Iowa City is that there was life out of the offense. For Northern Illinois they showed good resilliance fighting back but the offense needs to grease the wheels or MACtion could be tough. Winner: Northern Illinois 30-27 ATS: Northern Illinois +3

#1 Alabama vs Virginia Tech, 4:30 pm ESPN, Positives: Va Tech D is going to cause a lot of trouble, Alabama's too. Negatives: That revamped O-line needs to improve quickly and Thomas just looks awful. Winner: Alabama 35-10 ATS: Alabama -20

ULM at #16 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm, Good on Oklahoma removing any doubt on the outcome in this one quickly and after Q1 there was no doubt. Winner: Oklahoma 45-0 ATS: Oklahoma -23

#5 Georgia at #8 Clemson, 7:00 pm ABC, The hype is warranted on Clemson and that defense was suprisingly stout up front but to me the real story is Georgia's defense. That unit was the main question mark on a good Bulldogs team and aside from a couple touchdowns early they performed very well for the rest of the game. No doubt that, some young players need to improve but the initial signs are very good. Winner: Clemson 35-0 ATS: Clemson +2 

New Mexico State at #15 Texas, 7:00 pm LHN, Yup. This upcoming week is going to be an ugly game, much like the first half of this one. Winner: Texas 56-7 ATS: Texas -42

Wyoming at #18 Nebraska, 7:00 pm BTN, I predicted a scare and some seperation adn that looked to be the formula but a couple of quick late scores tightened this one up, just like that and now Nebraska is the team for whom the bell tolls, in many people's eyes. Winner: Nebraska 37-34 ATS: Wyoming +29

#12 LSU vs #20 TCU, 8:00 pm ESPN, TCU is gonna be force in the Big XII, but LSU was the story. Their offense look very good and their defense once again reloaded and considering some of the weaknesses we've seen out of the other SEC West teams the Tigers are gonna cause problems. I mean Mettenberger lead an offense to 37 points. Winner: LSU 37-27 ATS: LSU -4

#19 Boise State at Washington, 9:00 pm FOX Sports 1, Woah Washington, bravo to you. With a renovated stadium reopening the Huskies shelacked the Broncos in uncharacteristic fashion and put themselves in the conversation as trouble for Stanford and Oregon. On the Boise State front I'm not too worried Peterson's teams have been among the most consistant of the last decade. Winner: Boise State Washington 38-6 ATS: Boise State +4

Nevada at #21 UCLA, 9:00 pm Pac-12 Network, Good on UCLA to put this game away and make the final impressive, continued improvement from Hundley bodes well for a season of success I'm still skeptical of. Winner: UCLA 58-20 ATS: UCLA -19

#22 Northwestern at California, 9:30 pm ESPN2, Both side took pretty harmful injuries on both sides could affect the rest of the season, but Northwestern aquitted itself well on the road against a team that they had no opportunity to scout scheme and use of players.  Winner: Northwestern 44-30 ATS: Cal +6.5

Sunday, September 1st, 2013:

Ohio at #9 Louisville, 2:30 pm ESPN, Get use to this, this is all that Louisville will do all season until a matchup with Cincinnati. Winner: Louisville 49-7 ATS: Louisville -20.5

Monday, September 2nd, 2013:

#11 Florida State at Pittsburgh, 7:00 pm ESPN, Freshamn QB Jameis Winston looked great in the opener againt Pittsburgh, going 25-27 356 and 4 TD with only 2 sacks. Now he is a freshman so we should hold off on naming him king of the universe but it was a great start for a highly touted recruit. Winner: Florida State 41-13 ATS: Florida State -10

Rambling's 2013 Week 1 CFB Picks

Week 1 baby... another college football season is upon us. The inaugural week is always an interesting study of teams challenging themselves, easing in versus FCS teams or low major payment games or in some cases starting their conference seasons. As I have done the last couple of years I will pick the winners and against the spread (ATS) for each top 25 game not against an FCS opponent and games that catch my fancy each week. I will try to write a recap each week but once in a while it just won't happen. Thanks for reading hope you still with me all year.

Thursday, August 29th, 2013:

North Carolina at #6 South Carolina, 5:00 pm ESPN, North Carolina loses the best offensive weapon they had last year in Giovanni Bernard, but Bryn Renner is back at QB which is definitely a positive. South Carolina brings Jadaveon Clowney to terrorize offenses and Connor Shaw will be the anchor of an offense with a lot of RB turnover. I think South Carolina cleans up in this game and stretches the lead out to two to three scores at the end of the game. Winner: South Carolina ATS: South Carolina -11

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 8:15 pm ESPN, This game intrigues me because I'm not sure what either one of these teams is gonna be when we finish the season and that fascinates me to no end. Vandy is at home and that's why I lean that way, but Ole Miss has an infusion of talent with Hugh Freeze's arrival in Oxford but I'm not sure week one is where we will see that impact. Winner: Vanderbilt ATS: Vanderbilt +3.5

#24 USC at Hawaii, 10:00 pm CBS Sports Net, USC should run away with this game but USC is breaking in a new quarterback more than likely and that tempers the week 1 expectation. The rest of the team has talent but depth and health will be the keys for this years Trojans. Winner: USC ATS: Hawaii +23

Saturday, August 31st, 2013:

Buffalo at #2 Ohio State, 11:00 am ESPN2, Ohio State has Big Ten and National championship asperations and Buffalo shouldn't be much of a hinderance for either. Ohio State wins this going away and Braxton Miller puts on a show in week 1. Winner: Ohio State ATS: Ohio State -36

UMASS at #23 Wisconsin, 11:00 am BTN, Another in the long line of non-competitive yawners on the week 1 Big Ten schedule but we'll get to see who is named the starter for Gary Anderson's first Wisconsin game. The running back duo for the Badgers should torch a UMASS defense that still hasn't caught up talent-wise to the FBS level. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: UMASS +44.5

Toledo at #10 Florida, 11:21 am ESPN3, Florida will have a talented defense once again this year and special teams always seems to be a strong suit but the offense seems to be progressing backwards. This is a team that with a decent offense will go a long way but it's going to take a couple games to believe that. Toledo won't have much of a chance here but unless they give up a couple defensive scores I think it stays close. Winner: Florida ATS: Toledo +24

Rice at #7 Texas A&M, 12:00 pm ESPN, Manziel or no Manziel this game will be a blowout as A&M has enough offensive talent to make the day long for the Rice defense. Rice's offense won't have enough firepower to really press the A&M defense. Winner: Texas A&M ATS: Texas A&M -27

Mississippi State vs #13 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Oklahoma State looks like a legitamate contender in the Big XII once again but the QB situation needs to settle itself, sooner than later. Mississippi State has been stagnant for a few years now but I think they take a step back this season. Oklahoma State wins by 3 scores. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: Oklahoma State -12.5

Temple at #14 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, Notre Dame has a lot of questions and many start with Tommy Rees but Temple is not the team to challenge those weaknesses. Winner: Notre Dame ATS: Notre Dame -29.5

Central Michigan at #17 Michigan, 2:30 pm BTN, Michigan State didn't have an offense last year but the defense was elite and Central Michigan isn't going to be the team to force the Spartans to score. Winner: Michigan ATS: Michgan -31.5

Northern Illinois at Iowa, 2:30 pm BTN, Iowa won this matchup last year at Wrigley but Northern Illinois got better as the season went along where as Iowa, well didn't. I think the Huskies have enough returning talent and the Haweyes are a touch worse on defense and just as dreadful on offense. Winner: Northern Illinois ATS: Northern Illinois +3

#1 Alabama vs Virginia Tech, 4:30 pm ESPN, I want to say that Virginia Tech will keep this close but they have 27 underclassmen suiting up for this game and have lost a couple of starters to injuries. Alabama is building a dynastic resume and this game shouldn't slow them up. Winner: Alabama ATS: Alabama -20

ULM at #16 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm, ULM upset Arkansas and almost upset Baylor last year in the nonconference schedule but Oklahoma has a much higher base level of talent than either of those teams. Oklahoma may be down this season but they still far outpace the Warhawks at just about every position. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Oklahoma -23

#5 Georgia at #8 Clemson, 7:00 pm ABC, Georgia opens the season against a Clemson team that comes off a bowl win over LSU and returns much of it's potent offense from last season. Most importantly is Tahj Boyd who made strides in his ability as a passer last year but he loses top target DeAndre Hopkins. The key in this game will be the defenses, Georgia's lost much of a steller unit last year and Clemson's had some moment of less than inspiring play last season. I will take the team that doesn't need to replace two-thirds of it's defense on the road in week 1. Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson +2 

New Mexico State at #15 Texas, 7:00 pm LHN, New Mexico State is in the bottom 5% of teams in the country. Texas has one of the deepest recruiting bases and talent coffers. Texas wins this one going away. Winner: Texas ATS: Texas -42

Wyoming at #18 Nebraska, 7:00 pm BTN, Wyoming is going to sneak up on some teams this season, as incremental improvements have put them in much better standing amongst all FBS teams. Nebraska should have one of the best offenses in the Big Ten and perhaps the country on a per play basis. Nebraska will win this one but it'll be close for three quarters before Nebraska pulls away. Winner: Nebraska ATS: Wyoming +29

#12 LSU vs #20 TCU, 8:00 pm ESPN, TCU has been hit by a rash of injuries in the weeks leading up to the week 1 and at some key positions, which means that week 1 will be all that much tougher. LSU has lost a bunch on defense but they bring back one of the deepest running back groups in the country. TCU for it's part has one of the best coaches (Gary Patterson), Casey Pachall and his experience back at QB and there defense is woefully underrated by most fans. I think LSU wins but by no more than a TD. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -4

#19 Boise State at Washington, 9:00 pm FOX Sports 1, Boise State has had a few good not great years since Kellen Moore's senior season and attrition has been steady since. Washington hasn't progressed since the second season of the Steve Sarkisian era and they've been at 7 wins since. This  season they bring a talented offense back behind QB Keith Price and the renovated Huskies stadium should be rocking. I think Boise wins because they have the best coach and has a good amount of returning talent on defense. This should be a great game  Winner: Boise State ATS: Boise State +4

Nevada at #21 UCLA, 9:00 pm Pac-12 Network, This should be the best Nevada team since Kaepernick left but that isn't saying much and UCLA will be a top 4-5 team in the Pac-12. UCLA pretty easily. Winner: UCLA ATS: UCLA -19

#22 Northwestern at California, 9:30 pm ESPN2, Northwestern heads to Cal and with the team that returns to Northwestern this game seems like a no brainer but the big question mark from last season still looms in the Wildcats secondary. This one flaw could prove fatal as the Synn Dykes' staff runs a variation of the Air Raid and should pick apart the Northwestern secondary if improvements were made. I think Northwestern pulls out a squeker on the road, but don't get too comfy. Winner: Northwestern ATS: Cal +6.5

Sunday, September 1st, 2013:

Ohio at #9 Louisville, 2:30 pm ESPN, Louisville is the AAC favorite this season by a wide range and Teddy Bridgewater has darkhorse Heisman status. The Cardinals are a good team but Ohio shouldn't cause this team any trouble week 1. Ohio disappointed last season but they have some talent back and should makes some noise in the MAC this season. Louisville walks away with this one and the country will pile on the Louisville bandwagon hard with a big win. Winner: Louisville ATS: Louisville -20.5

Monday, September 2nd, 2013:

#11 Florida State at Pittsburgh, 7:00 pm ESPN, Welcome to the ACC Pittsburgh as a welcome gift we give you a Florida Stat team that has been told it will be average and not much of factor in the national race. Pittsburgh does get the Seminoles at home but the talent gap is so large here and the fanfare of the first ACC game will be quickly replaced by a beatdown. Winner: Florida State ATS: Florida State -10

Well there you have it the first week of pics for the new season hope everyone enjoys and I'll see you in this space on Sunday or Monday to recap just how poorly I've done.

2013 CFB Season Preveiw: SEC

I know there has been a lot of noise made by a certain coach from the Big XII about the depth and strength of the SEC but last season the conference placed five teams in the top ten and six in the top fifteen. The amount of top tier teams at the top of the conference makes up for the dregs at the bottom, however this does not extend to any individual schedule within the conference. This year the conference looks to have a great roster once again with Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, LSU, Georgia and Texas A&M all having legitimate cases to win the conference. This is the last preview this off-season and we are only two weeks from the start of games. (Big XII, Pac-12, B1G, ACC, MWC and Conference rank previews)

East: |last year W-L, returning offensive starters, returning defensive starters, %yards returning, %tackles returning|
Best Team: Florida|11-2, 6, 5, 55.2%, 47.3%| The East division of the SEC is getting better and this year is the best iteration in a couple of years and that makes it difficult to pinpoint the winner. I gave the nod to Florida in my preseason preview because I believe more in it's ability to replenish the roster. The secondary lost a lot of NFL talent but the two deep was especially strong last season and they should be able to fill in nicely. The biggest question however, on this team is once again the offense. The running threat has always been fine, the stable is filled with very good talent from within the state of Florida and will be steady again with a stout o-line. The question is at the skill positions where the QB and WR play have been abysmal, the latter maybe an effect of the first, Jeff Driskel returns to once again take the field and if he can get his sacks under control the skill position play could be much better this season. It will undoubtedly be ugly but it should be winning football once again.

Worst Team: Kentucky|2-10, 6, 7, 81.1%, 78.3%| Mark Stoops is bringing excitement to Lexington which isn't something that has been seen on the football side very much in the last decade or two. This year however will test that excitement because none of the high profile recruits are in this year or have officially signed for next year yet. This is a team that lost to WKU last season and looked absolutely horrific in it's conference slate. The good news is that a new staff has a better chance to squeeze something new out of the current roster than the last staff did but that is all that can be expected of this years version of the Wildcats.

Intriguing Team: South Carolina|11-2, 9, 8, 68.4%, 41.8%| South Carolina brings back a good amount on offense, loses some key players on defense and has a manageable schedule which all point to a team that should probably have the header of "Best Team". The running game has never really bounced back after the loss of Lattimore to a knee injury, with a steady but just above average run game. I have faith in Connor Shaw, I can't explain why and it feels weird but I think he makes this team dangerous on offense and they need that. On defense everything revolves around Clowney and we should all enjoy watching that, but the loss of two starters and a key rotation piece on the line is a cause for concern. Along with the line losses the entire starting linebacker crew has moved on and they lost their top DB in D.J. Swearinger. The Ol' Ball Coach will have this team ready to play this year and hopefully wear shirts to all games.

West:
Best Team: Alabama|13-1, 6, 7, 81.4%, 70.5%| Alabama has been one of the two best teams in the country for the last four years, and they have a very good chance of being right there in this mix again. This years team is reminiscent of the team from a couple years ago that didn't win the championship, but this years team has a few advantages. First and foremost the offense should be potent, with AJ McCarron, T.J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper. The offensive line loses a few starters who were very good, but they have a couple returners coming back and enough recruited talent to make them serviceable at worst. On defense, the line loses four players who played in every game last season, most notably starter Jesse Williams. The biggest losses, however, are in the secondary where they lose Dee Milliner and Robert Lester and in the linebacking corps Nico Johnson is gone. Overall this team has talent out the wazzou (river, not the school) and should be a beast for any team that doesn't play a disciplined and hard nosed game.

Worst Team: Mississippi State|8-5, 7, 6, 70.9%, 64.7%| How to put this... I think thath Auburn & Arkansas have greater chances to be the worst team in the West but Mississippi State has been stagnant now for three years after a promising couple of years in the Mullen era. The defenses have steadily progressed to average, the offenses have always been meh and the overall performance of the team has moved back to the median as well. There is talent on defense we've seen it flash in the past but with stagnation and fresh blood at cross state rival Ole Miss have been enough to make the talent level stay at, at best an above average handle.

Intriguing Team: LSU|10-3, 8, 5, 81.6%, 50.4%| LSU has been one of handful of teams to be the consistently great in the SEC the past 5 or so years. Florida had an off year, Georgia had a lull, South Carolina never quite reaches the pinnacle, Auburn had the Newton year and then nothing, but LSU and Alabama have been the stalwarts. The defense once again loses a bunch of talent to the NFL most notably both defensive ends and a couple defensive backs. The staff in Baton Rouge are use to this yearly ritual and the recruiting and depth are strong enough that they may take a small step back but will still be well above average. The offense has another new offensive coordinator and Mettenberger is back behind center and he will just need to be good or maybe a bit better than last year. The backfield has an abundance of talent back again this year in Blue, Hill & Hilliard and the line will be as stout as ever to battle the Florida, Alabama and South Carolina fronts. The offense should have some ability to make plays and pick up any slack left by the defense.


Conference Standings:
East: Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky
Legends: Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State
Championship Game: Alabama vs. Florida Winner: Alabama

Alright, this is the last of my conference previews, thank you if you read them and the season starts in about a week. I should be able to get predictions up for week 1 by wednesday night and I'm jacked for the season.

2013 CFB Season Preview: Big XII

The Big XII has been the second best conference in America the last couple of years with a depth at the top surrmounted only by the SEC. The conference still has a bottom with Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas isn't the worst but has two to three that are bad each year. Ultimately, the Big XII has 1-2 teams in the top ten but will place five or six in the top 25 range and has done this consistantly. This year there are questions at the top but this should be a very exciting race for the championship once again. (Pac-12, B1G, ACC, MWC and Conference rank previews)

Big XII: |last year W-L, returning offensive starters, returning defensive starters, %yards returning, %tackles returning|
Best Team: Texas|9-4, 10, 9, 92.3%, 83.3%| Texas has been the butt of most of the countries jokes over the last three seasons and for good reasons, with the resources available to the team there is no reason for such a lapse. The team though has been making strides since hitting rock bottom and the staff has continued to recruit well. The defense and offense have both shown flashes and inconsistant young players are no in position to make this team very dangerous in 2013. The biggests questions here are at QB and along the d-line. Quarterback has not been a quality position since the departure of Colt McCoy and that has made the pass game woefully inconsistant. The d-line on the other hand has not been stout against the run game but with talent like this and a highly paid staff, I will put my trust them to make the adjustments necessary.

Worst Team: Kansas|1-11, 5, 6, 68%, 51.3%| This is a slightly more talented JUCO team this season, in year 2 of the decided schematic advantage. The talent at Kansas is abysmall and the team on the field has been putrid. It has become so bad that Weis called out all of the players on the team at Big XII media day by saying one of his recruiting pitches is about all the opportunities with all of the horrible play on the field. This team will be bad again especially in such a deep conference.

Intriguing Team: TCU|7-6, 6, 9, 71.4%, 84.8%| TCU has been affected by injuries during fall camp this year which may put a bit of a damper on the Horned Frog's season, but they remain intruiguing none-the-less. Casey Pachall is back after a year off to get better control of his life and should provide an improvement at QB. Gary Patterson's defense was better last season on a per play basis (more useful to decipher because of vast tempo differences) than his first in the Big XII and it should continue to grow under a very good staff. The keys will be to replace the injuries and to continue to making the incremental improvements that have been in the works since the move from the Mountain West.

Intriguing Team: Oklahoma|10-3, 7, 4, 42.2%, 40%| Oklahoma lost much of last years team to graduation and the NFL which is par for the course but they have a big question at QB for the first time since before Sam Bradford came to the Sooners. Landry Jones is gone after a career that was good if not great and all of the replacements have quesiton marks. The Sooners also have holes to fill at LT, RB and its top 2 WRs on offense, along with both DTs, a DE, a LB, 2 safeties and a CB. That's a lot to fill for a team that is expected to challenge for a conference and national title on a national basis. The good news is that the Sooners have a very good recruiting staff which will put many talented players in position to replace those who have left. So we will just have to wait a couple of weeks to see if the Sooners can keep up their past consistancy.

Conference Standings:
Big XII: Texas, Oklahoma, TCU, Oklahoma State, Baylor, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas

2013 CFB Season Preview: Pac-12

A conference that just a decade ago was dominated by one team now has had an impressive duo at the top since the Reggie Bush saga but a damper on USC. Oregon an Stanford have represented the Pac-12  in the BCS the last four years and both have made BCS bowls in two of those four but they fall at the bottom of this tier because there have been some breakouts but nothing sustained and a very weak bottom. UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona, Washington and California have all shown flashes but none has been able to sustain that success the way Oregon and Stanford have sustained their jump. Overall the Pac-12 has a strong top a deep middle but also a deep bottom of the conference. (B1G, ACC, MWC and Conference rank previews)

North: |last year W-L, returning offensive starters, returning defensive starters, %yards returning, %tackles returning|
Best Team: Oregon|12-1, 8, 7, 73%, 72.5%| Oregon loses Chip Kelly to the NFL but he likely would not have been part of this team because of the NCAA's show-cause penalty. He is replaced by Mark Helfrich, who has been on the staff at Oregon since 2009 and has spent the majority of his coaching career in the Pac-12. Even with the loss of Kelly and a few players to graduation and the NFL, this is still a very talented team that returns a majority of players. Mariotta and Thomas come back on offense and that should scare any team on the Ducks schedule. The key question will be whether a defense that was bad but wasn't far above average can take a step up with talent returning. This team looks like it can and should create another great race in the Pac-12 North.

Worst Team: Washington State|3-9, 7, 8, 83.9%, 85%| We all love Mike Leach, I mean who doesn't love a modern day pirate in college football, but that doesn't help him with the talent inherited by his staff at Wazzou. They have a lot coming back and with Leach on offense that should be a plus but on defense they don't have the players to make much noise in the Pac-12.

Intriguing Team: Stanford|12-2, 8, 7, 30.9%, 80.6%| Stanford was also considered for best team and why shouldn't they have been. Stanford has been equally as good as Oregon the last four years or so and beat the Ducks last season. Kevin Hogan returns at quarterback this season but he loses a lot of help on offense, both of his main TE targets were maybe the most important. They do however bring a lot of experience back on the line and that should create the opportunity for offensive success. On defense the 3-4 football that the Cardinal play brings back most of last years contributors to a top 10 defense. This is a team that has kept Oregon in check for most of the past two games and should make them challengers for the Pac-12 and national championships.

South:
Best Team: USC|7-6, 8, 7, 47%, 69.3%| The biggest question for USC is at quarterback and then most recently if there will be long term ramifications with the Lee injury. USC has recruited well at QB and should be able to find a serviceable replacement and starter but the bigger question is whether for the 3rd year in a row a lack of death will lead to crippling attrition. The defense should be much better and I have faith that the replacement of Monte Kiffin will be a positive that will show a better diffence.

Worst Team: Colorado|1-11, 10, 7, 80.4%, 77.8%| This program is a mess and Mike McIntyre was a great hire but 2013 will be as bleak as the past couple because the talent on this team is Sun Belt level in a top tier conference. There are not a whole lot of bright spots, so let's just watch the Buffaloes season and hope that someone breaks out and gives all of us a reason to chear for Colorado.

Intriguing Team: UCLA|9-5, 7, 6, 67.9%, 59.5%| Most will have the Bruins as the best team in the Pac-12 south and I see the logic in this UCLA won the division last year and beat USC under the tutelage of Coach Mora. I think, however, that people are underestimating the losses of the best players on both sides of the ball in Jonathan Franklin and Datone Jones. Jones was a disruptive force who played in the opponents backfield and forced QB pressures that helped to mask some of the secondary issues they had last year. Jonathan Franklin keyed everything on offense last year, Hundley made strides but Franklin was the threat that defenses schemed for. This is all to say that UCLA is going to be good again this year, the last was certainly not a fluke but I think the Bruins may come up short.


Conference Standings:
North: Oregon, Stanford, Oregon State, Washington, California, Washington State
Legends: USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona, Utah, Colorado
Championship Game: USC at Oregon Winner: Oregon

2013 CFB Season Preview: Big Ten

The Big Ten stays put at 12 teams this season with Rutgers and Maryland headed to the conference next season. The conference should be a bit better at the top this season with Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Northwestern as solid to 25 teams and the first five all have the ability to be anywhere from 5-15 for most of the season. The big question will be whether we continue to see the improvement at the quarterback position to make that jump possible and see better post season results. The bottom with Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Purdue isn't going to help with perception issues but a strong top cures all issues. (ACC, MWC and Conference rank previews)

Leaders: |last year W-L, returning offensive starters, returning defensive starters, %yards returning, %tackles returning|
Best Team: Ohio State|12-0, 9, 4, 95.3%, 53.5%| Let's start with the worries for this year's squad. The Buckeyes lose the entirety of D-Line and a good chunk of the O-Line, even with those concerns optimism runs high in Columbus. Urban Meyer has a track record of success in the second year, both at Florida and at Utah, plus Meyer brings back Braxton Miller at QB and lots of skill position talent (95% of last year's yards coming back). On defense they should have enough talent from the last couple recruiting classes to fill holes and should be carried by a pretty good secondary.

Worst Team: Illinois|2-10, 9, 3, 92.7%, 56.2%| Ron Zook left nothing in the cupboard for Tim Beckman and his staff. I shouldn't say nothing, I'm sure the kids left behind from the Ron Zook era are good kids but the football talent is weak at best and a 2-10 record tells all you need to know. 12 returning starters total should be a sign of optimism but, as has been the case with most of my worst teams, a lot of non-talented returing starters isn't going to be much help. Illinois needs to bring some talent on the roster but patience is the key for Beckman going into and coming out of year 2.

Intriguing Team: Wisconsin|8-6, 8, 7, 75.4%, 66.4%| Wisconsin did the semi-impossible, they followed a living legend at coach with his handpicked replacement and he managed to take the program to arguably even greater heights. Bielema is now gone for the Ozark but his time the Badgers went outside the program to find his replacement. Gary Anderson takes over a program in great shape but possibly at the zenith of its potential. Anderson's resume speaks for itself and his rebuilding of Utah State was a masterpiece of coaching, his new Wisconsin team will certainly be less of a project but not without its challenges. Anderson and staff will be transitioning the defense to a 3-4 and the lack of depth along the line should make the transition good along with an underrated linebacker corps. The core competency for this team will still be its ability to run the ball with James White and Melvin Gordon behind one of the best offensive lines in the county once again.

Legends:
Best Team: Nebraska|10-4, 9, 4, 80%, 34.3%| The offense will be potent in Lincoln this season with an abundance of talent returning, Taylor Martinez at QB, Kenny Bell at WR and only the loss of Rex Burkhead as a major contributor from last year's team. The o-line returns a lot of talent as well which should continue to open up big lanes for the offense. The defense is another story all together, with only a third of the tackles returning and more than a few years of disappointing if not bad play on defense has left much to be desired from the Blackshirts. The success of this team will rest at the feet of Pelini and staff to maximize the talent on defense to allow the offense to win what are shaping up to be shootouts.

Worst Team: Iowa|4-8, 7, 7, 48.7%, 72.8%| I'm not sure what happened in Iowa City, Ferentz had this team performing above expectations most years and competing for championships ocsaionally. Then AIRBHG kicked in, the team had some bad bounces and the overall quality of the team dropped off. The talent on defense has still been there but the graduating students at Iowa haven't seen quality quarterbacking in their time at the #1 party school in the country. The defense should be stout again but will there be any offense to speak of this year or will Hawkeye fans wish they were drunk all season.

Intriguing Team: Michigan|8-5, 6, 6, 54.1%, 69.3%| Michigan enters the year with fewer questions at the quarterback position but with the same issues on defense they have had for the last 8 years it seems. With their best defensive lineman injured and a secondary that underperformed just about every standard last year I can't shake the feeling that the defense won't be able to make much improvement this season. The offense on the other hand should benefit from the stability of Devon Gardner being in control all offseason and the return of much of the skill positions will be a major plus. Lastly Taylor Lewan will hold down an above average offensive line that will give the skill guys the ability to use thier highly recruited talents to their fullest potential.


Conference Standings:
Leaders: Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois
Legends: Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa
Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Nebraska  Winner: Ohio State

2013 CFB Season Preview: ACC

I previously previewed the Mountain West conference and did a ranking of the conferences this off-season. The ACC comes into the year off a postseason that saw Clemson and Florida State winning BCS bowl games, the former over LSU and the later over Northern Illinois. 2013 also sees the first of two seasons of changes to the league membership with the addition of Syracuse and Pitt to the conference. Syracuse will join Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, NC State, Boston College and Wake Forest in the Atlantic; Pittsburgh will join, Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia and Georgia Tech in the Coastal. The conference might once again have two participants in the BCS but the second more than likely won't be as strong and Pittsburgh will certainly make the bottom of the league worse.

Atlantic: |last year W-L, returning offensive starters, returning defensive starters, %yards returning, %tackles returning|
Best Team: Clemson|11-2, 7, 6, 67%, 64%| Clemson certainly loses some pieces from last years team, but the return of Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins should help to offset the loss of Andre Ellington and DeAndre Hopkins to the NFL. There is still plenty of talent thanks to an uptick in recruiting under Dabo. Defense will still have some issues but they will only have to do so much with an offense that should put up points in droves.

Worst Team: Wake Forest|5-7, 8, 8, 85%, 65%| Wake Forest brings back a good amount of talent on both sides of the ball, although how much will that really make a difference. A bad team in 2012 returns much of the same core for 2013 begs a question of how much hope there is and with the other teams at the bottom of the Atlantic (division not ocean) looking in better shape than '12 as well Wake looks poised to stay much closer to the bottom of the conference than the top.

Intriguing Team: Florida State|12-2, 7, 4, 43.5%, 64%| Florida State loses a boatload of talent this off-season as is reflected in their returning yards this season. The biggest of which may be at QB and DE. The biggest question should be whether precious and talented youngsters can step up and fill in the many holes left on both sides of the ball. Also good luck guessing which easy win is a loss on the schedule.

Coastal:
Best Team: Miami (FL)|7-5, 10, 9, 84%, 79%| Miami brings back a team that outdid most projections in 2012. This was a team left for dead with bowl sanctions and distractions left and right. Miami brings back a sophmore who broke on the scene as a freshman at running back and enough talent to make them favorite in the Coastal. Returing talent shouldn't be the issue but with the NCAA ruling reining over them again this season the distarction still has the ability to derail what should be a successful team for Al Golden and co.

Worst Team: Pittsburgh|6-7, 5, 9, 21%, 76%| This is a team that lost to Youngstown State in 2012 and almost beat Notre Dame as well. The season turned out middling at best and that is probably the best thing that could be said. Most of the offense is gone from last year and a couple of dismal recruiting seasons leave little to get excited about in the Steel City. The defense has a chance to be fringe average to above average which will ultimately just make this season worse because of low scoring affairs with little excitement.

Intriguing Team: Virginia Tech|7-6, 4, 9, 66%, 76.5%| 2012 was a disappointing year for the Hokies, with a defense that wasn't up to par and an offense led by Logan Thomas. The Hokies underperformed the expectation of a Frank Beamer team and there in lies the problem, we expect Beamer's teams to win the Coastal even if it isn't the best team in the division. Logan Thomas will be the key here, Thomas was sub-par in decision making but he still has the ability to make a major difference on every game.

Conference Standings:
Atlantic: Clemson, Florida State, Syracuse, Maryland, NC State, Boston College, Wake Forest
Coastal: Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh
Championship Game: Miami (FL)  Winner: Clemson

2013 CFB Season Preview: Mountain West

The Mountain West sits in my sixth position among conferences, this is a bit controversial what with the American still having an automatic BCS birth but the top is a bit firmer and the bottom is comparable but I like the top half a bit more so lets move on. This is the first year of a twelve team Mountain West with the addition of Utah State and San Jose State to the fold, these additions allow for divisions and a championship game. Let's take a moment to set up the divisions: West: Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV Mountain: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming. An easy split to remember as it is along time zone lines and a fairly equitable split now and long term, the division the conference was done well and that should take just about any confusion out of the matter. So let us dig in we'll start first in the...

West: |last years W-L, returning offensive starters, returning defensive starters, %Yards returning, %tackles returning|
Best Team: Fresno State|9-4, 7, 6, 76%, 64%| Fresno enters the year as the favorite in the West division of the Mountain West. The West is the weaker of the two divisions with more questions about contending teams than there are in the Mountain. Fresno State had a bit of a lull in it's output in the last couple of years but last years squad made a good step forward which has helped push their stock skyward. With 13 of 22 starters returning and three quarters of their offensive output from a year ago returning the Bulldogs have the profile of a team that should make some noise in the MWC this season.

Worst Team: UNLV|2-11, 8, 10, 88%, 69%| UNLV has a lot coming back from a year ago, however when you bring a lot back from a bad team it doesn't give you bump up or the positive feelings that being a solid team with a lot returning does. Still, UNLV should be better this season but a lack of talent on the roster for the time being with be the biggest impediment to any significant jump in production

Intriguing Team: San Jose State|11-2, 7, 6, 60%, 65%| San Jose State is an intriguing team this year because of the change of conference and the turnover of the coaching staff. Mike McIntyre left the Spartans for the bottom of the Pac-12 Colorado Buffaloes and will be replaced by University of San Diego's Ron Caragher. McIntyre didn't leave the cupboard completely bare as David Fales returns at QB from a team that went 11-2 last season. Caragher did well as Jim Harbaugh's replacement (won 3 league titles at USD) and we will see if he can keep the momentum going in his next step up the ladder.

Mountain:
Best Team: Boise State|11-2, 6, 7, 75%, 53%| Boise has been one of the most consistent mid-major programs in the country, heck the nation, amassing a 163-29 record since 1998 and a  .913 win percentage since Chris Peterson took over the team in 2006. 11-2 last year came with a dearth of returning talent but a close game at the start of the year versus Michigan State showed that the talent level, 2 and 3 deep is getting much better in continued high level success under Peterson. The big key for this years team will be the ability of Joe Southwick to take another step forward at QB and additional weapons on the outside for him to utilize as well continued development of a young defense.

Worst Team: New Mexico|4-9, 7, 4, 72%, 44%| New Mexico made strides last season as shown by the graph from Bill C's fantastic work over at SBNation, but that still meant they were still well below but strides have been made. The reason that UNM is here is because the Mountain division is pretty solid and the next worst team is Wyoming who has made strides as well the last couple of seasons. New Mexico should continue to make strides in Bob Davies second season but they still have a ways to go, especially in the pass game and on defense.

Intriguing Team: Utah State|11-2, 8, 7, 57%, 70%| Utah State is intriguing for the same reason as San Jose State but with a higher level of talent throughout the team thanks to the great work of Gary Anderson and staff. With Anderson and co. gone this seaon the Utah State welcomes Matt Wells as the new head coach. Wells was the OC and QB coach last season and is a graduate of Utah State and should bring some continuity to a situation that is always tough to navigate. What is the dropoff for the Aggies in year 1 post Anderson and how will they replace key contributors at the offensive skill positions.


Conference Standings:
West: Fresno State, San Jose State, San Diego State, Nevada, Hawaii & UNLV
Mountain: Boise State, Utah State, Colorado, Air Force, Wyoming & New Mexico
Championship Game: Boise State & Fresno State Winner: Boise State

2013 CFB Season Preview: Conference Ranks

With around 40 days until the college football season and only baseball to hold us over until the end of August and well that just isn't exceptable. So I'm gonna spend the next couple weeks previewing the season starting with a conference rankings and breakdown. And then a look ahead breakdown of each conference this season. Let's begin with the independents who I didn't rank because of the difficulty of defining them.

Independents: Add two more to the ranks of the un-homed this season as New Mexico State and Idaho end up on the outside looking in with the colapse of the WAC. The military schools, Navy and Army still reside here although Navy will soon be moving to the American (not sure I like it yet). BYU and Notre Dame have national indentities and should once again be marquee Independents.

Best Team: Notre Dame still has the talent to be a top ten team this year, even with the loss of key defensive players and Everrett Gholson. The roster still has two elite defensive linemen in Louis Nix and Stephen Tuitt, a tandem who comined for 20.5 tackles for loss and a veteran offensive line that should be able to overcome most negatives attributed to Tommy Rees. They should be head and shoulders above BYU this season.

Worst Team: Idaho may be the worst team in the nation and now without a few cupcake WAC games that doesn't seem like there will be a whole lot of improvement this year. With less than average returning starters from last years team (not necesarrily horrible when bad), and add that to well below average recruiting that are associated with the Idaho program. Add in a quarterback with a 54% completion percentage and 4.1 yards per play and a running back with 2 TDs last year 2013 looks pretty bleak.

Now that we have that out of the way let's take a look at how the conferences pan out, I have then ranked in tiers and within tiers to take a look at where the conferences stand.

Tier 4: Overall weak but some bright spots this season will bring optimism

Sun Belt: The Sun Belt has been and will continue to be tthe most common point of entry into the FBS level, this year the conference welcomes Georgia State to the FBS level. Last year the conference was lead in the non-conference by Arkansas State and ULM who showed strength agains some lower tier SEC teams. Unfortunately with the turnover of conference realignment the Sun Belt is clearly the weakest conference.

Conference USA: Conference USA was raided again in the most recet waive of realignment losing Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF, all of whom but Memphis were top tier teams in the conference. To offset the attrition Conference USA raided the Sun Belt and took some of the leftovers of the WAC, joining in 2013 are Louisiana Tech, UTSA, WAC, FAU, FIU, Middle Tennessee and North Texas. The conference was definitely worsened by realignment but stays a step above the Sun Belt for now because of a handful of teams that should be above average.

Best Team: Arkansas State, has won the conference each of the last two seasons, with two different coaches and are looking to make it a third year in a row. New head coach Bryan Harsin comes to this team from Texas via Boise State but he had some struggles with transitioning at Texas. There is reason for some concern with the turnover at head coach but Arkansas State has brought talent in under the Malzahn and Freeze years and that is a majority of the battle when it comes to being on top in the Sun Belt. Louisiana-Lafayette, ULM and WKU will give them a run and I wouldn't be suprised to see the later two win the conference.

Worst Team: Georgia State, it is as simple as Georgia State being in year 2 of football and having very little talent stacking the roster. A move up and being barried deep in the most talented rich part of the country should allow them to pick up some scraps and make strides in the coming years but this years team is in for a rough ride.

Tier 3: Good conferences with strong upper tiers and abysmal lower tiers, aside from AAC stable
Mid-American: The most stable of the mid-majors this offseason the MAC saw no changes to the teams in it's conference, which is good because that means we can all focus on the MACtion this season. The top of league is good with NIU leading the bunch and we won't worry to much about the bottom because no matter how bad the directional Michigan schools get it's still MACtion.

The American: The American adds Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF to replace Syrcause and Pitt this season and although Pitt was horrible it had some history to it's name and Syracuse would have been the third or fourth best team in the conference. Louisville is the best team hear but will have to be much  more consitant next season to avoid an upset to give it a chance at the BCS Championship Game. The bottom of this conferences features Memphis and UCONN, the former being very much in the running for worst football program in the country at this moment.

Mountain West: The Mountain West would be considered up near the next tier if not for the attrition of TCU, Utah and BYU which combined with Fresno State would have given this conference a chance at 3-5 top 25 teams each year and in most of those years a top 10 team. The current iteration is still solid with two top 25 teams in Boise and Fresno and a dark horse (although popular) in San Jose State. The bottom still looks pretty lean but another year of some middle of the pack teams showing growth will continue to keep this league above the AAC.

Best Team: Louisville, is the best team in the American and with it's Sugar Bowl win in January has ascended to a potential BCS title game and an almost lock to be the BCS rep for the conference. I did give consideration to Boise who is in year 2 post Kellen Moore and should see a good step forward from their QB Starwick. Louisville doesn't have the question at QB and that's what puts them over the top in this tier.

Worst Teams: Memphis, has been bad for years and will continue to be bad, with a school that cares more about it's basketball than football it isn't hard to see this squad being in the bottom 5% of FBS even with new teams moving into the division. A move to the American should help revenue and bring some renewed enthusiasm but that won't improve the talent on the field this season.

Tier 5: Elite conferences but lack of elite top end teams and poor bowl performances leave these two a notch below the rest of the Big 5.

ACC: The ACC has had some elite teams in the last few years but they have an uncanny ability to lose games they shouldn't and then lay eggs in big games. Clemson and Florida State have been the cream of the crop in the ACC but Florida State lost to NC State last year and Clemson lost to the Wolfpack and Georgia Tech in 2011. Va Tech was abysmal last year but has routinely been the best team in the Coastal and among the best in the conference and Miami should put a positive show on this season. New additions from the former Big East in the forms of Syracuse and Pittsburgh don't add much to the football product this season and both should be middle of the pack. This conference may take a step back overall this season but Clemson has National Championship ability, Florida State has immense talent and Miami looks to be sneaky good.

Big Ten: The Big Ten has been dogged the last couple of years for the on the field product and at times for very good reason but it appears the cycle has come back around in the league as some young QBs have matured the last couple of season have matured and should improve the quality of play. Ohio State is the cream of the crop but a grouping of close calls last year still loom as a concern, Michigan State had the opposite problem and should see a normalization in luck and plethora of talent back for the 2013 season. Nebraska brings back a ton of talent as well but the Huskers have had four losses in each sesaon in the Big Ten and need to stop that trend to really make the next big step and fulfill the promise they showed before coming to the league. Wisconsin brought in a Gary Anderson with the departure of Bret Bielema to Arkansas. The league needs a better showing in bowl season and in big non-con games but should have a couple of elite teams and a potential BCS Championship game participant. The low end is still low but there are reasons for optimisms around Indiana and Minnesota, but Purdue and Iowa probably take a step back this season.

Best Team: Ohio State, is the best team out of these two conferences but Clemson definitely deserves to be heard out in this argument. Urban Meyer does great things in year two and Braxton Miller should be a lot of fun to watch. The biggest detraction is definitely some atrition on defense but Meyer has brought in two very talented classes and the cupboards are nowhere near bare.

Worst Team: Wake Forest used to be a team that you could count on to make a run every four years or som when they would pile up a group of seniors and be trouble for the traditional powers. There are no signs of this years team being one of those teams. I also think we see better years out of cellar mates Maryland and Boston College that will make scraping together wins for the Deamon Deacons even more difficult.

Tier 6: The elite conferences, only one has won 7 national championships in a row but all have multiple legitamate National Championship contenders among their ranks and have fertile recruiting grounds in their footprint.

Pac-12: The Pac-12 has had two teams in the top 6 in the final BCS standings each of the past three seasons. I don't expect that to change this season with the talent at both Stanford and Oregon remaining deep and the culture shock at Oregon being at a minimum with good continuity from last years staff. If UCLA can continue on the path the 2012 squad set they would give the conference a third team in the top 10-20 range in the standings and with offensive talent in place they definitely have a chance. What will define the 2013 Pac-12 however is how the teams in the middle perform, Oregon State surprised in 2012 but is that who they are, USC has talent but questoinable depth and questionable coaching has everyone wondering who they are; Can Washington become what we've thought every year of the Sark era and will either of the Arizona schools make the leap that seems within reach in year two of their respective head coaches? The answers to these questions will ultimately define the overall feel of the conference but the top should still be very strong.  

Big XII: The Big XII may be the deepest league in country and there are fewer questions about teams 3-7 than in other leagues and their middle tier teams but the elite just don't quite matchup to the top 3 to 5 of the SEC. Texas looks like it is poised to retake the throne in the Big XII they have a bunch of returning starters and talent in the 2 deep but there remains the concerns that this team just hasn't put it all together in a few seasons. Oklahoma State and Oklahoma will challenge Texas and both have talented teams but Oklahoma lost a lot from last years team and OK State has had a lot of turnover the last few years and still don't know who will start the year at QB. The Bottom of the conference is bad as well, Kansas is in the running for the worst team in the country and will field a JUCO all-star team, Kansas State lost just about everyone of significance from a special team last year and Texas Tech has a bright future but a present that is less than shining. This will be once again one of the best conferenes to watch each week but their are questions about the abilities at the top and that limits the upside this season.

SEC: Aside from the National Championships, what this conference has accomplished the last few seasons is quite incredible. They have routinely put 3-4 teams in the top ten of the final BCS rankings and two teams in BCS games. They are the only conference of the BCS era to put two teams in the championship game and have been consistantly great in producing pro talent. This season Alabama, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Ole Miss can all say to varying degrees that they have the talent to make a BCS bowl. The bottom does have some bad teams but of those Kentucky is the only one who hasn't made noise in the past five years and Missouri just joined the conference and needs to bring it's talent level up. Tennesse is still a blue blood with the means to regain where it was. The bottom line is the top of the league is deeper than any conference in the country and because that depth is 6-7 deep it doesn't matter that there is some riff raff at the bottom.

Best Team: Alabama has the most talent, the best coaching and the best recruiting in the country and are thus the best team. Do they have some holes to fill? Definitely, but with McCarron, Yeldon and Cooper on offense and C.J Mosley, Deion Belue and Vinnie Sunseri on defense this team should be and is the front runner to win the National Championship.

Worst Team: Colorado is the worst team in the BCS conferences and that includes Memphis, this is a school that doesn't invest in footbal and has a derth of talent in all respects. I love the McIntyre hire but it's gonna take atleast three years to see any real and tangible progress and probably 5-6 for them to be competitive in any meaningful way in the Pac-12.

That wraps up my Conference ranks, it took me much longer than I wanted but I hope to have more in-depth write ups on the BCS conferences before the season and maybe a MWC write-up in there as well.