2011 College Football Picks: 8 Predictions for Week 2

The first week of college football is in the books and this season started with a bang.

Boise State, LSU and the Big East all made big statements. Oregon, Notre Dame, TCU and Georgia were disappointments and Auburn looks like it will not be defending its title.

There were several new developments, like Robert Griffin III's explosion onto the scene and those god-awful new uniforms.

So, what to expect this weekend? Here's a look at some quick predictions.

The Robert Griffin III Love Train Continues

Is there anything he can't do?

He ran, threw and caught passes against a TCU defense that is traditionally ranked as one of the best in the nation.

Unless Griffin sits out part of the game or gets injured, he should have another big week. Stephen F. Austin is certainly no TCU. Griffin for Heisman will continue to be a reoccurring theme.

Robert Woods Does Not Have a Repeat Performance

It is amazing that Robert Woods, virtually unknown, stepped on the field and caught 17 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns.

Unfortunately for Woods, his production dropped off in the second half, telling us Matt Barkley was telegraphing his passes or the Minnesota Golden Gophers are much more stingy on the defensive side than we expected.

USC should get its act together, but record-setting games will not be the norm.

Mark Richt's Hot Seat Gets a Little Hotter

Losing at home (yes, it was the Georgia Dome, but that's home) is not something you do if your job is on the line and you play in the SEC. Mark Richt didn't get that memo.

It doesn't get easier in the SEC. This week the Bulldogs come back home (for real, in Athens) and face South Carolina, a team with legitimate title hopes and a Heisman contender in running back Marcus Lattimore.

Richt will likely lead the Bulldogs to an 0-2 record, which will only lead to more calls for his job. Richt will be gone by the end of the season, even though having a young team generally leads to growing pains.

Notre Dame Falls to 0-2

Notre Dame heads to Michigan to play a night game.

I could see no other reason for the Wolverines to get excited than to beat up Notre Dame at night on ESPN.

Denard Robinson looked like he was comfortable in a pro-style offense, but was not nearly as explosive as last year. That will be something to watch.

The real reason Notre Dame will fall to 0-2 is because it lacks focus. Turnovers were a major contributor to the loss, and maybe the weather could be blamed for part of that, but South Florida played in the same conditions and was not nearly as sloppy.

Brian Kelly will be swearing a lot more after this weekend, as dropping to 0-3 is a likely outcome and 0-5 is a possibility.

The Big East Does Not Stay Undefeated

In one of the more surprising developments, the Big East went undefeated on opening week—not that the opponents were overly difficult, except for maybe Notre Dame, but it goes a long way to show the Big East at least belongs at the table for the BCS.

It gets significantly more difficult this week. North Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt all are bowl-worthy teams and Rutgers, Cincinnati and Connecticut, respectively, are all going on the road to face them.

Boise State Continues Its March to the BCS Championhip

Now that the hard one is out of the way, the Boise State Broncos are ready to make a claim as the first non-AQ team to make the title game.

The Broncos proved they can take on all comers by going to Georgia and winning on the road. This is a trend that will likely continue for non-AQ teams looking for respect.

The next big test is TCU, which looked vulnerable against Baylor. The Broncos will need to make sure they don't lose focus like they have in the past if they want to stay in the title hunt.

Someone at Under Armour Gets Fired

Whoever had this brain child is losing their job. This morning.

Worst.

Idea.

Ever.

Top 25 Teams Will Lose

USC, Georgia, Notre Dame and Auburn are all teams that face top 25 or borderline top 25 teams.

All of them will lose.

USC is facing Utah. Utah is playing its first Pac-12 game and will look to make a statement. USC didn't look overwhelmingly strong against Minnesota and may be ripe for an upset.

Georgia is facing South Carolina. I already talked about that.

Notre Dame is going to lose in Michigan under the lights.

Auburn looked terrible last week and will certainly not be repeating as national champs. Chris Relf of Mississippi State is a dark horse Heisman candidate and will look to get some real exposure winning in his home state of Alabama.