It has been a steady slide since Turner Gill left Buffalo for Kansas (that didn’t go so well). When Gill was at the helm they were having success and it looked like they were a program on the rise in the MAC, now they are skimming the bottom as other programs have ascended.
The Oklahoma Sooners are expecting another very good season. Almost all polls have them in the top 5 as this talented team is returning a lot of experience too. Oklahoma is always in the argument but hasn’t won a championship in a while.
The expectations for these Wyoming Cowboys is to finish in the middle of the pack in the Mountain West…again. A couple of years ago it looked like this program might turn a corner but the transfer of QB Austyn Carta-Samuels set the program back a bit.
It is still amazing to see how far the Hurricanes program has fallen. There is talent on this roster (there always has been) but this program is so snakebitten they don’t know what to do with themselves.
The marquee matchup of the first weekend pits the #8 Michigan Wolverines up against the #2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. This game will be played at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Brady Hoke returned the Michigan Wolverines to prominence last year, but now they have to take on the defending champions from Alabama.
To say that Penn State has had a tumultuous offseason is a massive understatement. The criminal acts that took place on campus have taken this football program down a road no one could have ever expected. Bill O’Brien is tasked with the job of turning things around for the Nittany Lions program.
Southern Miss had a record-breaking season in 2011. The Golden Eagles went 12-2, which was the school record for most wins in a season. Nebraska went 9-4 in what was a somewhat disappointing first year for the Cornhuskers in the Big Ten.
The Urban Meyer era kicks off Saturday afternoon in Ohio Stadium. A year ago Buckeyes fans were down in the dumps as the program looked lost, but now the fan base is pumped up as one of the best coaches in football has taken over the program.
I have long been a fan of Nevada and that hasn’t changed with their move to the Mountain West Conference. With their old pals the Boise State Broncos also in the fold I don’t see a championship in their immediate future but they definitely won’t embarrass themselves.
I am not sure why but I actually feel sorry for Boise State coming into this season. Odds are this is their worst team in a while; the Mountain West Conference isn’t what it used to be so not much to play for there; and the University was acting like it was getting cold feet about moving to the Big East next season.
Head coach Mark Richt enters his 12th season as the main man Between the Hedges at Sanford Stadium, holding the clipboard for the Georgia Bulldogs. Various times during his tenure, he has been on the hot seat and also been lauded for being a brilliant motivator.
The No. 8 Ducks will try and spoil Colorado’s dream of grabbing its first PAC 12 conference win when they roll into Boulder on Saturday.
Arizona, fresh off of firing their head coach are set to take the field against the UCLA Bruins on Thursday night, and the Wildcats are the favorites in this one.
Two of the PAC 12’s most high powered offenses go head to head on Saturday when the #8 Stanford Cardinal (6-0, 4-0) take on the #25 Washington Huskies (5-1, 3-0) in Palo Alto.
If the #18 ASU Sun Devils (5-1, 3-0) can overcome the #9 Oregon Ducks (4-1, 2-0) they’ve got a pretty good shot at running the table for the rest of the season. But getting by the hurry up Duck offense is no small hurdle.
Washington State (3-2, 1-1) takes on its first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when they host the #7 Stanford Cardinal (5-0, 3-0).
