If you’re anything like me, you are nearly going crazy with another month ahead of us waiting on college football to start. Believe me, I feel your pain. I really do.
Besides, September 1st is my birthday and this year I will be gifted with some college football to watch. Oh, there are some games the previous Saturday, and then Thursday and Friday nights are filled with opening games, but there are few good ones worth getting excited about.
By the way, please make all birthday checks payable to Brad Taylor, that’s B-R-A-D T-A-Y-L-O-R. I appreciate it ahead of time. Please ask for mailing address in the comment section. Anything from $5 to $5 million will be accepted and appreciated greatly. I’ll return the favor on your own birthday, wink, wink.
As much as I appreciate college football making my birthday a priority, most of the games are just pretty weak. In the old days, schools weren’t scared to play other good schools.
South Carolina vs Coastal Carolina? Come on, man. North Carolina State vs James Madison? Abilene Christian at Baylor? Come on, man.
But, through all of the bad games there are a few good ones that I can get excited about.
One of the games that could be great is Washington vs Auburn at a supposedly neutral site at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. No SEC team playing in the south is in a neutral site. Washington will have to beat Auburn and probably some really bad officiating.
The Huskies are expected to win the Pac 12 and return an excellent quarterback in Jake Browning, plus a powerful offensive line and a great running back in senior Myles Gaskin.
The defense took some losses, but should be competitive.
Auburn also returns an excellent quarterback in second year starter, Jarrett Stidham, plus a lot of other talent. Watch out for walk on wide receiver Will Hastings who supposedly runs a 4.3 40.
Another potentially exciting game is Michigan at Notre Dame. This is an old rivalry that was
discontinued a few years ago and I am glad it’s back. These guys could have played Prairie View, or Old Dominion like others, but they chose to play a possible great game which could turn into a loss for one of them. A team like Alabama should not be allowed to play the Citadel. There’s nothing to be gained for the Crimson Tide in that game other than an automatic win.
Michigan fans and college football fans such as myself, will be anxious to see Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson in action for the first time.
The September 1st schedule is pretty weak, but I am not discouraged at all since my main focus is on the players and teams themselves instead of seeing classics in the making. I will be looking forward to seeing the Wisconsin offensive line in action regardless of who they are playing.
September 8th is another story. There are a number of interesting games, or potentially entertaining games.
Georgia should be ranked in the top 2 or 3 and a trip to improving South Carolina could be fun to watch. It could be promoted at Jake Fromm versus Jake Bentley, but it’s a team game and the Georgia Bulldogs are loaded. I always look forward to seeing South Carolina coach Will Muschamp blow a
gasket.
One of the other top teams will be Clemson and they will be traveling to Texas A%M. New Aggie coach Jimbo Fisher is no stranger to Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
Kentucky and Mark Stoops will be taking a pleasant trip down to Gainesville, to take on the Gators of Florida. It will be a good chance to see new Florida coach Dan Mullen at work. With the new coach struggling to install his own system, Kentucky might have a chance at winning this game.
Mississippi State returns some talent, but has a new coach and will be playing at Kansas State who doesn’t have a new coach. I like new Mississippi State head football coach Joe Moorhead, but how well will the yankee born and bread Moorhead fit in at Mississippi State is the question I have. I hope very well, but it’s hard to say.
At Kansas State, long time head coach Bill Snyder doesn’t have his best team and he’s going to be 79 during this football season. Snyder is nothing short of a miracle worker for what he’s done at Kansas State. The Wildcats return 10 starters on offense which will be tested by Bulldog defensive linemen Montez Sweat and Jeffrey Simmons. If Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is fully recovered from a gruesome injury inflicted on him against Ole Miss in last year’s Egg Bowl, this could be a great game.
This could be a great opportunity to view new UCLA Bruin coach Chip Kelly at Oklahoma against the Sooners. The Sooners lost Heisman winner Baker Mayfield, but Kyler Murray should be a capable replacement. This game will probably be an ugly mismatch, but it could also be interesting.
Colorado at Nebraska goes back to the Big 8 days when they were big rivals. The Buffaloes have
come a long way in the past couple of years, but Scott Frost at Nebraska will have them playing well. I can’t wait to see this game.
Iowa State at Iowa is a rivalry that usually doesn’t interest me that much, but these days it could be different. Cyclone coach Matt Campbell is a rising star in the coaching business and has Iowa State playing pretty well. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz will be entering his 20th season as Hawkeyes’ head coach, but he’s going to have to pick it up to stay with this up and comer, Matt Campbell and his Iowa State Cyclones.
What needs to be said about Penn State at Pittsburgh? It is an old time classic that’s featured some of the nation’s best ever in year’s past. I have to get excited about it for that reason alone. Think about a Tony Dorsett, or a Dan Marino, or Mark May against a Jack Ham, or Franco Harris, or Todd Blackledge. Great, great players have come out of this rivalry over the years and I’ll watch if for no other reason than that.
USC at Stanford will be an important early game in the Pac 12. These guys have never really liked each other, either. They’ve been going at it for years.
Michigan State at Arizona State will be an early season look at the Spartans and their quarterback Brian Lewerke, who many have compared to Kirk Cousins. It’s also a reason to see what new Sun Devil coach Herm Edwards will have his team looking like. Many thought he was a joke for a hire, and I am staying out of that conversation.
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September 15th
Oklahoma at Iowa State could be interesting. The Cyclones came into Norman, Oklahoma and beat the Sooners last season. I am not sure it was a fluke because I see greatness in new Cyclone coach Dan Campbell. We will find out soon how much of that game was just pure luck.
The Tigers vs the Tigers could be interesting as LSU travels to Auburn. I have a feeling the War Eagles of Auburn will crush them and how many different names do the Auburn Tigers really have?
Alabama at Ole Miss could be a good game, although I suspect it was be another example of how much superior the Crimson Tide is over most of the SEC. I am just hoping for a close game.
Last season, Missouri just got destroyed by Purdue at home and with the Boilermakers having a brand new coach. This time, the Tigers have a chance to gain revenge and beat the Boilers at home. I don’t think it happens, though, because Purdue is another school with a great coach who gets a lot out of his players. But, tune in and find out as I will. Jeff Brohm, of Purdue, is the real deal.
The Ohio State Buckeyes get an early test by traveling to Texas to take on the TCU Horny Toads. Talent wise, TCU shouldn’t stand a chance against Ohio State, but they are well coached and they can compete. This will be a game to watch.
Last year, the Texas Longhorns visited Los Angeles and took the USC Trojans into overtime before losing. This year, USC is at Texas and without Sam Darnold and several other stars, will they melt in the Texas heat? This could be a great game.
September 22nd:
Stanford at Oregon. The Ducks are on their 3rd head coach in 3 seasons and this will be an early season opportunity to see what the future looks like for the Oregon program. Mario Cristobal is recruiting lights out for the Ducks right now, but can he coach them to a successful season? Stanford will be showcasing Heisman candidate, Bryce Love. Will Cristobal’s version of the Ducks play defense?
There may not be another team in America with a brighter future than the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Huskers and brand new coach, Scott Frost, will be traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on everybody’s whipping boy, Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines. I believe everyone has written off Harbaugh too quickly and they don’t understand that Michigan lost 35 seniors off the previous season’s team. This should be a really good game and it will be an opportunity to see Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson in action.
Even though this could be a really great Clemson team, they have often had problems playing at Georgia Tech. The Tigers are light years better than the Yellowjackets, but that doesn’t always matter. This could be a very entertaining game, or maybe a blowout.
Kansas State at West Virginia. This could be a very seasoned Wildcat team before they are through with their early season games. The Mountaineers will be led by talented quarterback Will Grier and his favorite target at wide receiver, David Sills. This just has to be Bill Snyder’s last year to coach and
I plan on watching as much as I can.
Georgia will be great, but it’s hard to say what Missouri will be like. At the end of last season, they were a terror in the SEC. But, their offensive coordinator left for the head job at Central Florida replacing Scott Frost. Without former Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel calling the shots this season for the Tigers, will quarterback Drew Lock be as incredible as he was last season? Missouri started off last season with a 1-5 record and 5 straight losses before they pulled it together and won 6 straight. Georgia was their last lost before they were beaten by Texas in the Texas Bowl.
This could be a great game if Missouri’s offense is good this season because they are not going to stop the Georgia running game. Also, Georgia will be without Chubb and Michel for the first time in 4 years and it will be interesting to see the new wave of running backs this new machine churns out.
Florida at Tennessee is an old rivalry that has had many interesting moments over the years. Both are reloading with new coaching staffs and it couldn’t have happened at a better time with both being really stale. Both teams may be a year, or two away, but I am looking forward to this game.
Boston College at Purdue could be another good battle. BC often has a great defense, but Purdue will be a high flying team and I can guarantee that. Boston College will have one of the better running backs in the nation in sophomore AJ Dillon who is a bruiser of a back at 6-0, 240. I love power football, so I will watch this one. Boston College will try and wear down Purdue by pounding the football and keeping it out of the hands of a potent Boilermaker offense.
September 29th:
USC at Arizona could be a fun game. Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate is exciting with his feet, or with his arm and he could be a fun player to watch. Remember new Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin coached Johnny Manziel in his first season at Texas A%M and Manziel won the Heisman.
Sumlin also coached record setting quarterback Case Keenum at the University of Houston. It will be interesting to see if Sumlin has some more quarterback success with Khalil Tate.
The Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A%M Aggies always seem to produce a thriller. Now, the Razorbacks have brand new coach Chad Morris and the Aggies have their own brand new guy in Jimbo Fisher. Both of these guys are offensive minded and this could be a wild one. Or, it could be that both schools are a couple of years away from having the right guys on campus to run their own schemes. I still think the Aggies should have hired Morris instead of Fisher, but time will tell.
Tennessee at Georgia will probably be a mismatch. But, it could also be an interesting game and possibly important in the SEC East standings. Georgia probably wins in a blowout, but you never know. It could be worth watching.
Florida at Mississippi State should be an interesting game because of the coaching changes. Dan Mullen coached the Bulldogs to some success and now he has the Gators. The fans will not be happy with him and there should be a lot of booing. Both teams have talent, but if Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is back to his previous form, this could be a barn burner.
Syracuse upset the Clemson Tigers last season when quarterback Kelly Bryant was unable to play. But, this year will be a different story with the game being played in Death Valley, the real Death Valley. Syracuse might stay in the game, but it’s more likely that the Tigers gain some sweet revenge.
Purdue at Nebraska will showcase a couple of the new breed of head coaches in the Big 10. Jeff Brohm and Scott Frost are program changers and the results will be on the field in 2018. Nebraska may be another year, or two, away from where Husker fans want to be. But, it won’t take long to get there with the way that Scott Frost recruits and coaches. The turnaround at Purdue was evident in their first game, and Brohm took a previously terrible program and took them to a bowl in his first season. What Frost did at UCF was nothing short of incredible.
Stanford at Notre Dame should most always be an interesting game. This year should be no exception with the Cardinal coming in with super running back Bryce Love. This should be a game well worth watching.
This is just the beginning with an incredible October following up.