Opening Saturday 2012
First off, the Tennessee Vols looked strong in their opener Friday night. Michigan State escapes Boise State.That makes a 2-0 record in my predictions. Let's see how the rest of weekend unfolded.
Penn State drops its home opener vs Ohio, 24-14. Nittany Lions looked good early but couldn't carry it through the entire game. A tough season ahead for Penn State, no doubt. I wish them the best.
Georgia rolls Buffalo, 45-23. Georgia's offense looks great, but I am a little concerned with their defense allowing 23 points. That won't cut it against SEC opponents.
Florida gets past Bowling Green, 27-14. This was no walk in the 'Swamp' for the Gators. They made some good plays but I think they still have questions on offense. Defense looked brilliant at times but consistency will be key in SEC play. And Florida better get things rolling soon, they play Tennessee in a couple weeks.
Nebraska turns the heat up and rolls Southern Miss, 49-20. This game looked like it could've been a close one down to the wire, until they turned Martinez loose. And it wasn't with his legs. Martinez threw FIVE touchdown passes. But at what cost did Nebraska get this win? Star runningback Rex Burkhead injured his knee in the first half and didn't return. It may be a few days until we know how bad it turns out.
Florida State rolls over Murray State, 69-3. Yes, Murray State had nothing going and that's expected against a team like FSU, but the only reason I put this game on the scoreboard was because of FSU's offensive line improvement. Again, I know it's Murray State. However, if you rewind to this time last season, FSU played two pretty bad teams, Charleston Southern and ULM. In both those games FSU struggled to run designed plays. They couldn't run and EJ scrambled nearly every pass play, and we saw where they finished the season.....nearly dead last in rushing yards and gave up the most sacks in the ACC.
Entering this season, that is the storyline. What would the offensive line look like? Well, 285 yards rushing, 606 yards total offense. Again, I understand this is Murray State, but FSU hadn't dominated up front in a long time, no matter the opponent. FSU has another warm up game before they start conference play. The offensive line will continue to be the top storyline at FSU.
The defense? Nah, I won't go there.....it's Murray State.
Clemson makes plays down the stretch and beats Auburn, 26-19. Interesting game all the way to the end. Clemson has some issues to be concerned with. I knew Sammy Watkins was a big part of Clemson's offense but it must be larger than everyone anticipated. Clemson truly struggled without him. Auburn showed some promise, but it's still a loss and they need to get better quickly.
LSU did what they were expected, handled North Texas, 41-14 It was everything we expected to see from LSU. Sure, they need to fine tune some things but they seem to be right where they need to be at this point. The running game was more than healthy, and the passing game was effective. Defense? It looked okay too.
Alabama clearly handled their business with Michigan, 41-14 No Question they were the more physical and dominant team. How about the depth at runningback? BAMA did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted all game long. Running the ball seemed so easy, part of that being a very weak defensive line.
Denard Robinsion never found his game. He made some plays but nothing when it really mattered. There isn't much positive to say about Michigan's performance. The Wolverines know what they have to work on but they have a long way to go yet. They let me down with my bold pick this weekend.
That leaves me with a 3-1 record this weekend. But, there is one more big game to watch. On Monday night, Virginia Tech vs Georgia Tech. Now, this is a tough game to pick. I like what both teams are bringing to the table. Logan Thomas is poised to make another run at the ACC title. Tevin Washington is ready make plays and take the Yellow Jackets to the next level in the ACC. I am going to go with the Hokies. I think the defense is going to be the difference in the game. V-Tech's defense should rival that of FSU's defense in the ACC this year. The Hokies have some questions up front on the O-line but they should be fine.
Reader questions will be in my next segment. Another busy week ahead in Football, but it feels great. Football season is finally in full swing. Check out our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/collegefootbal2day
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