Best Games of week One

This report does not include week zero (8/24/2019), the game that is must see that week is Florida @ Miami, The Gators are favored by 7!

Week one begins on the Thursday, the 27th of August runs through Monday, September 2nd!

Thursday’s Games (8/29/19)

UCLA (P-12) @ Cincinnati (AAC): Cincy won this game a year ago, 26-17, went on to have a terrific season, 11-2,  and won the Military Bowl, beating Virginia Tech, 35-31. UCLA, in its 1st year under Chip Kelly, struggled through a 3-9 campaign, yet the Bruins did beat crosstown rival, SC, 34-27 and 2 other P-12 teams (Cal 37-7 & Arizona 31-30)! That said, they were winless in their Non-Conference (NC) games in 2018. The Bearcats are the pick, 3.5, over the Bruins!

Utah (P-12) @ BYU (IND): The Holy War, as this game is called, is sure to get all the church bells in Utah ringing on Thursday beginning at dawn! The Utes lead the all time series (94th meeting), 58-31-4, and have won 8 of the last 9, including 8 in a row! Utah is favored by 6 in Provo, @ BYU’s, Lavell Edwards Stadium!

Georgia Tech (ACC) @ Clemson (ACC): Clemson has won 8 of the last 10 meetings, including 4 straight! Tech’s last win in the series was in 2014, @ home, in Bobby Dodd Stadium, 28-6! The Tigers are one of two teams ranked 1st or 2nd in every pre-season poll, Alabama being the other team. Clemson is a 34 point favorite.

Friday’s Games (8/30/2019)

Wisconsin (B-10) @ USF (AAC): This is the 2nd meeting between the Badgers & Bulls. The 1st game was played in Mad-Town (2014), a 27-10, Bucky win! South Florida will have to stop the run, a thing they failed to do in their last meeting (Wisconsin ran for 294 yards), if they want a different result! Badgers by 10!

Colorado (P-12) vs Colorado State (MWC): This in-state annual battle is played at a neutral site, Denver’s, Mile High Stadium! The Buffs (Colorado) have beaten the Rams 7 of their last 10 meetings, including 4 straight! Vegas says it’s Colorado, again, this time by 11 points!

Alabama (SEC) vs Duke (ACC): The last time these teams played was in 2010, Bama prevailed, 62-13, in Duke’s Wade Wallace Stadium! A rare visit by the Tide to a NC’s opponent’s arena. Obviously, the home field advantage was not an issue for Alabama. This game will be more to Bama’s pattern of playing 3 NC games at home and one at a neutral site, this one @ Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium! Bama by 33!

Ole Miss (SEC) @ Memphis (AAC): This is one of the more interesting games of the day. Ole Miss is coming off a 5-7 season and a self-imposed Bowl ban in 2018. So needless to say, the Rebel’s are eager to get 2019 season started. Mississippi’s Head Coach (HC), Matt Luke, hired 2 former HC’s as his coordinators, Rich Rodriguez as the Offense Coordinator (OC) and Mike MacIntyre as the Defense Coordinator (DC). Memphis is one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country and is coming off a disappointing 8-6 season. The game will be played @ Memphis’ Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The teams have split their last 2 games, Memphis won in 2015, 37-24 while Ole Miss had their way in 2016, 48-28! A shocker out of Vegas, an AAC team is favored over the Mighty SEC …  Memphis by 6!

Auburn (SEC) vs Oregon (P-12): This is the best game of the day and has playoff implications for the P-12! Auburn could lose this game, win the SEC, and are in the College Football Play-off (CFP). This is not true for the P-12 Champion! Oregon needs to win this game, hope and pray that the Tigers win 10 games or capture the SEC’s West Division, while they win the North Division & P-12 Championship! If Oregon loses the game with Auburn or worse, lose and play poorly, the P-12 better make sure the Duck’s do not win the conference or it could be another season of…  ‘outside looking in’ @ the CFP! Auburn is favorite by 3!

Northwestern (B-10) @ Stanford (P-12)’: These teams have played only once since 2009, a Wildcat win over the Cardinal, 16-6, in Evanston This time the game is in California, at Stanford Stadium. The last time the Cats were @ Stanford Stadium was in 1992, a Cardinal win, 35-24! Stanford leads the 8 game series, 3-2-2! Stanford by 6.5   

Georgia (SEC) @ Vanderbilt (SEC): An SEC East tilt, Vandy has won twice since 2009 (31-27 in 2013 & 17-16 in 2016), while Georgia has won 8 of the last 10, & the Dawgs lead the all-time series, 57-20-2. Georgia had a great 2018 season, winning 11 games and playing for the SEC Championship. That said, 2 of their 3 losses were in the final 2 games, lost to Bama in the SEC Championship, 35-28 and the Sugar Bowl, 28-21 to Texas. Vandy better be ready, as Georgia has it eye on the CFP in 2019 and will be looking to rid themselves and their fans of the memories of what the 2018 season could/should have been! Georgia wins by 20!

South Carolina (SEC) vs North Carolina (ACC): These neighbors have only played twice since 2009; in 2013, South Carolina won, 27-10 and again, in 2015, 17-13. This game will be played @ Charlotte’s  Bank of America Stadium. UNC is 0-4 in their last 4 openers and 0-3 in their last three neutral site contests, and what may be of greater concern for the ‘Heels’, is South Carolina is 18-1 in its last 19 season openers. South Carolina by 7!

Boise State (MWC) @ Florida State (ACC): These teams have never met on a gridiron. FSU had not missed playing in the Bowl Season since 1982, that is, until 2018 found the Noles going a shocking 5-7 (6 wins are needed to be bowl eligible). The Seminole HC, Willie Taggart, is anxious to get 2018 in his rear view mirror and Boise State (10-3 in 2018) in a neutral site game (well … sort of) Jacksonville, Florida’s TIAA Bank Field, is the perfect opponent. The Broncos are 6-5 vs Power 5 opponents in the past 5 years, however it should be noted, that 5 of the 6 wins are against P-12 teams. FSU by 4!

Fresno State (MWC) @ USC (P-12): Speaking of not qualifying for the Bowl Season, that would also include SC, who struggled to a 5-7 record in 2018. SC had made a Bowl in every, non-sanctioned, year, since 2000. SC & Fresno have met twice in the past decade, with the Trojans winning both games, 45-20 in 2013 & 52-13 in 2014. It should be noted that these games, like the 2019 contest, were played in the LA Coliseum. SC is favored by 13.5

Virginia (ACC) @ Pitt (ACC): This is an ACC Coastal Division battle, a division that Pitt won last year. The Panthers & Cavaliers have played  6 times since 2013, with Pitt winning 5 of the 6 games, including 4 straight wins since 2015. However, this is Bronco Mendenhall’s (Virginia HC) best team since his arrival from BYU in 2016 and many are picking the Cavaliers to win the ACC’ Coastal Division. Virginia is favored by 3!

Virginia Tech (ACC) @ Boston College (ACC): The Hokies & Eagles have played 10 times since 2009, with Tech winning 7 of the 10 games. Last year, BC ended VT’s win streak at 3 straight, with a 31-21 win in Blacksburg. BC features one of the best runners in all of college football, AJ Dillon ( 1108,10 TD’s, & 4.9YPC), while Virginia Tech will counter with WR, Damon Hazelton (802 yards, 8 TD’s & 15.7 YPR). The Hokies are favorite by 2.5! 

Sunday, September 1st

Houston (AAC) @ Oklahoma (B-12): These teams last played in 2016, with Houston winning in an upset, 33-23 @ NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas! This opening game will mark, the much talked about Alabama transfer, Jalen Hurts, 1st game as OU’s QB. The last 2 quarterbacks, who also transferred into OU, have won the Heisman Trophy! OU is picked to win by 26 points! 

Monday, September 2nd

Notre Dame (IND) @ Louisville (ACC): These teams have played only once, in 2014, a 31-24 Louisville victory @ Notre Dame Stadium! The Irish are coming off a 12-1 season and an appearance in the CFP (a 30-3 loss to Clemson). While Louisville struggled through a 2-10 2018 season & one in which their coach (Bobby Petrino) was fired. ND has struggled in road openers winning only 2 of the last 5! The Irish are favored by 21!