Bleacher Report - Articles by Brian Harris

College Football: 10 Intriguing Games for the Upcoming Season

Brian Harris — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:09:41 -0400

College football has one hell of an act to follow after last season's brilliance. Luckily the football gods blessed us with plenty of salivating matchups to at least put this year in position for a good follow up.

Here are ten of the most intriguing games.

Central Michigan at Georgia (9/6)

Going into the 2008 season, Georgia will no doubt be one of the favorites to win the national championship. Stacked on both sides of the ball, there should be no reason for the Bulldogs to any trouble with a MAC team.

That said, we are coming off a season in which anything that could have happened did happen. Central Michigan is the type of team with enough offensive firepower that, if this season is anything like last season, could really put a scare into a Georgia team with the highest of expectations.

Quarterback Dan LeFevour had more rushing and passing yards than Tim Tebow, and he has his top two receivers from last year to throw to. The two leading rushers from last year also return.

The 100+ ranked defense should not really put up a fight against Knowshon and company, but with this being the Bulldogs' first game of the year against an FBS opponent, they may not have all the engines revved up. If that happens, CMU is more than equipped to compete in a shootout.

While Georgia should be able to ultimately run the Chippewas off the field, if last season taught us anything, it's that nothing can be taken for granted.

Kansas at South Florida (9/12)

Both USF and Kansas should be ranked in the top 20 going into their early season clash. Try going back in time and convincing yourself of that two years ago.

This is quietly one of the more intriguing non-conference matchups of this year. If they can figure out what went wrong in the second half of last year, USF should consistently be putting a team on the field superior to that of their opponents, with the exception of possibly West Virginia

Nearly everyone that matters returns on the offense, led by Mat Grothe. If tailback Mike Ford can establish himself as a legitimate force in the backfield, the offense should have no weaknesses.

While the defense loses a couple of important contributors, All-American George Selvie is back to anchor a very solid front seven.

Kansas will find it hard to repeat last year's success, but ultra-efficient quarterback Todd Reesing returns to keep them competitive. As an interesting side note, leading returning rusher Jake Sharp, who will be instrumental to Kansas' success, is white.

Nearly everyone is back on defense, but the Jayhawks do lose corner Aqib Talib, which does not help considering the team was already mobility-challenged. This should be an interesting game, but I'm not sure if Kansas has enough speed to keep up with USF.

Ohio State at USC (9/13)

Not much to say about this one. Any self-respecting sports fan can appreciate a non-conference clash between top five teams. It's freakin' USC and Ohio State!

The Buckeyes return nearly every important piece from last year's team. Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis were probably the best players at their respective postions last year. Vernon Gholston is gone, but he really only showed up for the Michigan game anyway.

Todd Boeckman won't win the game, but he won't have to with Chris Wells in the backfield.

Meanwhile, USC, the team on the other side of the field, may have the only defense as talented and stacked as OSU's. Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga headline what is probably the best linebacking corps in the country.

The offense is mostly unproven, but this is USC. Mark Sanchez has the potential to actually dominate the game, unlike his predecessor John David Booty. Joe McKnight should now be the full-time starting tailback and put up big numbers.

This game could be a shootout or a defensive struggle, and either team could win either way. Let's just hope it lives up to the hype.

Michigan at Notre Dame (9/13)

Although this game should have very little impact on the upcoming season, it will be the most important matchup between the two teams in years.

Notre Dame desperately needs to show it is a legitimate power after last year's debacle. Michigan needs to show that, while not title contenders, they are not where Notre Dame was last year.

Jimmy Clausen and the Notre Dame offense will need to drastically improve to be competitive, because while Michigan puts a relatively unknown offense on the field, the defense should actually be a solid unit.

Everyone is interested to see how the new-look Wolverines will fare with a completely different system—and what better way to exemplify change than to beat up on the other Midwestern program struggling to adjust to a new era in college football?

Both teams will be fighting for whatever wins they can get.

Ohio State at Wisconsin (10/4)

No, not Michigan—Wisconsin. For the first time in half a decade, this looks to be the most intriguing Big Ten matchup. Wisconsin better be good—for the Big Ten's sake.

Wisconsin never seems to have trouble finding a quarterback, so we can assume new starter Allen Evridge will be fine. Plus, the Badgers have a black-hole-deep corps of running backs, led by the big guy P.J. Hill. Evridge truly just needs to manage the team.

The Badgers will have to use the crowd and this depth at running back to control the game—or else be blown out.

Ohio State will not allow Wisconsin to run over them, so Wisconsin is going to have to bring some defense to the table. Luckily for the Badgers, while incredibly talented, Ohio State's offense is not the type that will run you off the field in a hurry.

The Big Ten title and legitimacy as a conference are on the line in this one.

Clemson at Wake Forest (10/9)

Clemson is by far the most talented team in the ACC. Florida State and Miami are still a couple years away from returning to anything close to their prime form. Virginia Tech has yet to show the ability to put points on the board, not to mention the fact that they lose key members of the defense that won them games last season.

Clemson, meanwhile, has two of the top backs in the country and the top QB in the ACC. Add that to a solid defense bolstered by an incredible recruiting class, and Clemson is the easy favorite to win the conference.

Their biggest competition looks to be Wake Forest. Wake Forest is now consistently producing with considerably less talent than the traditional powers. Riley Skinner is a ruthlessly efficient quarterback, and they have a couple of good backs to highlight a run-oriented attack.

There's not a lot of size but enough speed on the Deacons defense to run with the Tigers for awhile. The back seven should be especially solid.

Clemson has the better team, but Wake Forest is one of the few teams that always plays to its potential, even if the ceiling is lower. That means Clemson will actually have to play to its potential—something the Tigers are not known for doing.

Georgia vs. Florida (11/1)

Both teams will have a tough time getting to this point undefeated, but if they do, this should be just as incredible as USC-Ohio State.

Georgia is nearly flawless with a stiff defense and plenty of talent on offense. Knowshon Moreno is always going to put up his numbers, but the Bulldogs will need Matthew Stafford to live up to his immense talent level if they are going to contend.

Florida showed they could win plenty of games with Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin alone last year. Now they welcome USC transfer Emmanuel Moody to try to add a true running game to the mix. If this works, the Florida offense will be beyond impossible to stop.

The defense that got ravaged by Michigan last year is going to have to make a drastic improvement if they are going to compete with Georgia. Although Derrick Harvey is gone, Florida will always have the talent to field a successful defense. The Gators just need to transfer this talent to the field.

If Stafford turns into a star and Florida's defense steps up, I'm not sure how either team will win.

Texas Tech at Oklahoma (11/22)

OK, here goes: In my opinion, Texas Tech is better than Texas this year.

Tech, of course, is all about offense, and they have all the pieces they need for the ideal Texas Tech attack. Graham Harrell now knows the system by heart, and Michael Crabtree is, well, incredible. The Red Raiders also possess several serviceable tailbacks, which are an undervalued aspect of the team.

Oklahoma returns Sam Bradford, who is the most effiecient passer in the nation. That is generally a good thing for a football team to have. Demarco Murray, if healthy, should be a step up in the running game, as he showed for the first half of the season last year. Oklahoma honestly might have both the best passer and runner in college football.

Because of this, Texas Tech is going to have to field some kind of defense we have never before seen out of a Red Raider team.

While no defense will be able to completely shut down Tech completely, you know the now Lofton-less Oklahoma defense will manage a few stops. The Raider defense will have to answer the call if Texas Tech is to establish itself as a prime-time team.

If Tech is the real deal, we'll know by this time in the season. Here's hoping they are.

BYU at Utah (11/22)

The Mountain West Conference has not one, not two, but three potential BCS busters. BYU, Utah, and TCU are all good enough to make a lot of noise this year. I'm tempted to claim the MWC is better than the ACC.

I, for one, can't get enough of any mid-major team with the potential to crash the BCS party. Here are two of them! Add that to the fact that this is an in-state rivalry, plus the last game of the season, and this is a salivating matchup.

Harvey Unga was a freshman sensation at tailback for BYU and can only get better. Max Hall is a very good quarterback and returns his two leading receivers. 80 percent of the line is back too.

Only three starters return on defense, but since BYU constantly has talent returning from missions, I'm sure there is enough there to do just enough to not lose as their offense puts up 50 points a game.

Utah is very similar to BYU in that they return a talented quarterback in Brian Johnson and runner in Darrell Mack. Assuming Johnson remains healthy, Utah should be able to produce—while maybe not an equal level—a comparable level of offensive production.

Utah has a little more on defense, so these teams really even out well. It could easily be possible, but I have a hard time believing any team can hang with the BYU offense.

USF at West Virginia (12/6)

The Big East really had their eye on something while scheduling this game. It happens to be the same weekend as the conference championships. No other teams playing this weekend will have more realistic shots at being undefeated (although it is never realistic to go undefeated).

West Virginia should be as focused as any team in the country. Offense will be a non-issue. Pat White will return this year and combine with Noel Devine to be the usual West Virginia machine. The defense loses some key members from last year, but plenty of it still remains. I reiterate: No team will be more focused.

The one team in two years that has managed to stop West Virginia has been USF. The Bulls don't have the most size, but over the past two years their speed has completely overwhelmed the Mountaineers.

This year neither team should go in as a true favorite, adding to the tension. The last game of the year, plus conference and maybe even national title implications, equals an exciting matchup.

Others:

Georgia at Arizona State: Georgia could have at least five games on the list, but I'm most intrigued by the above-mentioned two.

Illinois vs. Missouri: The Big Ten needs this one. It would have been more exciting if either team's tailback had returned

Texas vs. Oklahoma: Texas just doesn't excite me this year.

LSU at Auburn: More than likely an important game, but potentially more like a boring defensive Big Ten slobberknocker.

Michigan State at Cal: Both teams better than probable preseason ranking.

Texas at Texas Tech: Have more faith in Tech than Longhorns.

Fresno State at Boise State: BYU-Utah Jr.

Arizona State at USC: Easily the two best teams in Pac-10.

Cincinnati at Oklahoma: If Mauk somehow gets eligibility, Bearcats are among elite in Big East.

Insert SEC clash here: SEC powers seem to all play each other.

Michigan Football: Both Wolverines and Opponents May Not Be Ready for 2008

Brian Harris — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:24:22 -0400

Prior to every college football season, Michigan fans analyze their team and determine whether this year's team belongs in one of two categories: potential Big Ten Champion or potential National Champion. Generally, these expectations were more than realistic.

In a sharp contrast, the 2008 season is filled with talk of how potentially bad this team could be, with a new coach, a drastically altered system, and none of last year's stars returning for this year's campaign. The two choices Michigan has for quarterback are a freshman (although Chad Henne worked out pretty well) and a walk-on.

Ohio State is currently miles ahead in all aspects of the game, and for once it looks as if the team down the road in East Lansing may have a better early season outlook.

I'm not going to be the one to say Michigan has nothing to worry about, that no matter what the circumstance nine or ten wins is still likely. Rich Rodriguez is a combined 6-23-1 in his opening seasons at new programs.

This year Wolverine fans are in the rare situation of not being able to expect to be the leaders and best.

That being said, the nation should make no mistake—this is not an all-is-lost situation. The 2008 Michigan Wolverines are far from the 2007 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Regardless of whether or not they are ideal for the system, the Michigan players are all part of annual top ten recruiting classes.

These kids are good at the game of football, however it is being played. All this “transition year” means is that the same caliber talent is put on the field with less experience and a little (well, maybe a lot) more creativity.

That means that Minnesota, Northwestern, all those MAC teams, and especially Notre Dame need to stop licking their respective chops. Michigan is still putting a better football team out onto the field and will most likely exit as the victor.

Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin need to watch out too, because in this year’s matchup with Michigan, all the pressure is on them to win. Michigan has a tendency to relish in the role of spoiler (see ’93, ’95, and ’96, Buckeye fans).

Another reason for optimism is the fact that Rich Rodriguez’ first year statistics are based on him assuming the head coaching position on previously awful teams. He has never had anything close to the resources and talent Michigan has to offer.

Wolverine fans need to prepare themselves for a type of season they have never seen before. The obstacles this team must overcome to be successful are more prominent than ever before.

Opponents, however, need to brace themselves too. After all, this is still Michigan.

College Football Preseason Top 10

Brian Harris — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:33:50 -0400

1. Georgia

This team's got the whole package. Knowshon Moreno is an All-American back, and Matthew Stafford, talent-wise, is being mentioned as a top five draft pick. Stafford, however, has not always lived up to his full potential. Now would be the time to unleash that golden arm of his, with plenty of talent around him to distribute the ball to.

Georgia has a typical strong, fast SEC defense anchored by tackle Jeff Owens. Unfortunately, the schedule is brutal, so even being the most talented team may not be enough for the Bulldogs.

The home slate is tough but manageable, but it isn't between the hedges that Georgia should worry about. The Dogs visit one of the better Arizona State teams in years early in the season, and after October 18 have four straight tough games away from home.

If they survive this schedule unscathed, I would give Georgia the championship without actually playing the title game.

2. Oklahoma

Oklahoma often played like the best team in the country last season, and I expect them to continue that play with more consistency this year. Sam Bradford is the most accurate passer in the country, and he is joined in the backfield by Demarco Murray, who is quite frankly a class up from last season's leading rusher Allen Patrick.

There's no more Curtis Lofton to anchor the defense, but Oklahoma has never had trouble replacing linebackers, and I don't expect that to change.

The toughest test will always be Texas, but this year the Longhorns are far from the only obstacle. The Sooners travel to A&M, and although Texas Tech comes to Norman, this is definitely not the typical Red Raider team.

Still, the Sooners will be the best team on the field the entire season—it is up to them to play like it.

3. USC

For once, a Trojan team is more proven on the defensive side of the ball. Even in the offensive-minded Pac-10, teams should have trouble moving the ball on this unit led by linebackers Brian Cushing and Ray Maualuga.

There is just as much talent on offense, but no one worthy of the title of star...yet. Mark Sanchez will be the starting quarterback. Talent-wise, he is better than above-average-but-nothing-more quarterback John David Booty—we'll see if he plays better.

I believe Joe McKnight needs to assert himself as the true starting tailback if this team is to succeed, instead of the by committee system they had going. The Trojans feature plenty of underachieving, potentially All-American receivers too.

All the road games are against halfway-but-not-that-great teams, and while there is Arizona State and that world-stopping matchup with Ohio State, at least it's at home. It should be another interesting season in LA.

4. Ohio State

If Ohio State beats USC, they will probably be in the BCS title game...again. Michigan is wounded, and the Buckeyes should be able to simply out-talent every other team on the schedule. Wisconsin, and possibly Michigan State or Illinois, should be the only troubling obstacles.

James Laurinaitis is back for some reason, so it will be just as impossible to run. Malcolm Jenkins was, in my opinion, the best corner in the country LAST year, much less this year, so Mark Sanchez will have a true test to start the season.

Chris Wells is the epitome of a Big Ten running back—one man cannot tackle him. 43-year-old quarterback Todd Boeckman has somehow managed to get a 24th year of eligibility (sorry, could not go the whole time without taking some kind of shot at the Buckeyes). As usual, all he needs to do is not mess up and this team will succeed.

5. Clemson

Clemson may not be the fifth-best team in the country, but I don't have much respect for the talent of the rest of the ACC. As a result, Clemson is the fifth-best team in the country.

The offense is loaded with two of the top five backs in the country in James Davis and C.J. Spiller. I am not a fan of the talent level of quarterback Cullen Harper, but there is no denying his ruthless efficiency.

The defense is good enough to stop the not-so-explosive offenses the ACC has to offer.

Clemson's schedule looks to be centered around dominating the state of South Carolina, with not only the Gamecocks on the slate, but SC State AND The Citadel as well. They open the season against Alabama...from Georgia? And the rest of the schedule is against the ACC...not even Virginia Tech I might add.

It should be a very good year for Clemson, but no school is better at underachieving.

6. Florida

As great as Tim Tebow is (brace yourselves Florida fans, I'm about to say something not good about him), last year it was evident that he cannot win every game by himself. He may not even be the most important player on offense.

This offense is a two-man show with Tebow and do-it-all Percy Harvin. This year they add USC transfer Emmanuel Moody at tailback. It will be interesting to see what effect that will have on the offense.

The defense really needs to improve for Florida to even think about contending. No matter how well the offense performs, the defense has to put up some kind of fight, as demonstrated in last year's Outback Bowl.

The schedule is a typical SEC schedule, although not as bad as Georgia's. Having Florida State and Miami on the schedule nowadays is a nice addition to the non-conference schedule.

7. Texas

If Colt McCoy returns to his freshman form, Texas should be fine. Jamaal Charles is gone, but Texas is a big state—I'm sure there is another talented tailback somewhere. Until they find a replacement, Colt might be more like Tim.

Texas have to be careful in their opening game against Florida Atlantic. Never underestimate a solid opponent with nothing to lose in the opening game. Other than that Oklahoma team, Texas have to travel to Texas Tech, which will be a more difficult task than it has ever been.

The defense should be good enough to stop most teams, but it will be tested against the ridiculous Sooner and Red Raider offenses.

8. Texas Tech

This seems to be the first year that Tech has all the pieces for a truly unstoppable offense. Graham Harrell is experienced enough to know the system by heart, which could be very deadly. Add that to the fact that he is throwing to the best receiver in the country in Michael Crabtree, and you have the formula for easily the best passing attack in the country.

Not that it matters, but Tech also returns its leading rusher from last year, Shannon Woods.

The Red Raiders should be able to pass every team on their schedule off the field other than Oklahoma and Texas. If they generate some kind of defense, even the two Big 12 powers better watch out.

9. South Florida

The Bulls lose corners Trae Williams, Mike Jenkins, and linebacker Ben Moffitt—and that's pretty much it. This team was No. 2 in the country at one point last year and had a chance to win every regular season game they lost.

Matt Grothe is a decision-making problem away from being truly great, and defensive end George Selvie might already be there. All the Bulls need are serviceable corners to combat a schedule not exactly littered with great passing attacks.

At Cincinnati will be tough, but there really isn't a team USF should not beat, with the exception of West Virginia in Morgantown. The thing is, USF seems to have West Virginia's number...just a thought.

10. West Virginia

West Virginia will be best if it takes Rich Rodriguez' departure personally, as they did in the Fiesta Bowl. There's no Owen Schmitt on offense, which will probably be a bigger deal than no Steve Slaton.

I honestly think Noel Devine will do an equal if not better job than Slaton did at tailback, although the depth is no longer there. I expect the offense to run with about the same efficiency as last year—after all, Pat White is still Pat White.

The defense could be an issue as several players were lost to graduation, the draft, and dismissal from the team.

Luckily for the Mountaineers, the two toughest tests—USF and Auburn—are both at home. All the road games are manageable, but I've got a feeling this is not quite the team that beat Oklahoma.