College Football: Top 10 Underrated Non-Conference Games

Here, we have, at least what I consider to be, the ten most underrated non-conference games of the 2008 season.

So, yeah, most on the list will consist of non-BCS programs.

These games are listed mainly due to a mixture of the meaning of the game, how good it will actually be, and the hype surrounding it.  So let’s begin:

10.     Central Michigan @ Georgia

This is a game that could have larger implications than you might think.

First off, Central Michigan isn’t going to win.

Let’s get that out of the way.

The Chippewas, ever since Butch Jones took control of the program, have forgotten how to play defense.  But, that doesn’t mean the Chips won’t put up a fight.

This has the potential to be Dan LeFevour’s coming out party.

If you’re not familiar with LeFevour, you have obviously shied away from anything Mid-America football-related.

He’s basically, a poor man’s Tim Tebow, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

He’s only one of two quarterbacks to ever throw for 3,000 yards and rush for another 1,000 and has a chance to shine in week two against a nasty Georgia defense.

Realistically speaking, the Chippewas won’t be capable of hanging with the Bulldogs if they can get Knowshon Moreno going.

He’ll probably run through Central’s defense like a hot knife through butter and it might remind fans of that night Between the Hedges that Boise State was supposed to put up a fight.

But the reason this game is important is the fact that LeFevour hasn’t had a huge stage to show off his skills.

He’s played solid games in the MAC championships, had great games in both Motor City Bowls, almost beat Boston College, and got hammered by Michigan in 2006.  That’s about his resume on a national scale.

A competitive showing against the Bulldogs could launch his college career even further.

9.  Ball State @ Indiana

The Cardinals don’t have a rigorous schedule this year and if they can navigate it well enough, this could be a BCS team.

Don’t laugh! The Cards are lead by budding superstar QB Nate Davis.

He doesn’t have a superfluous amount of help on the other side of the ball, but if you look at the fact that Indiana is the only BCS conference team they play this year, it’s not all that nutty to think that Ball State does have a chance.

Their defense is great at creating turnovers and they get just about everybody back on offense.

They seriously return everybody.  If that’s not enough to get you excited, eight guys come back on a sub-par defense.

As for Indiana, the Hoosiers are in a bit of a daze after the Insight Bowl shellacking that Oklahoma State handed to them.

It was never close.  Last year was an emotional roller coaster ride for sure, but the players handled it in a professional manner and would have made Coach Hep proud.

This year, Bill Lynch is the man and he’ll have to ward off a team as stingy as Ball State.  It will be crucial to their bowl hopes as well.

8.  Louisville @ Memphis

Why is this game important?

Well, it’s important in a sense that Steve Kragthorpe’s future may be affected by the outcome of this game.

These two former C-USA rivals will meet again at the Liberty Bowl.

The last time Louisville went to the Liberty Bowl was 2004 when Stefan LeFlors and Danny Wimprime slugged out a 56-49 final score in which the Cardinals prevailed.

What’s worse is that Memphis should remain pretty powerful on offense.

The defense returns plenty of guys that should only get better with more experience.

If Louisville pulls off another Middle Tennessee defensive performance, that might send a signal to the administration that the team has quite on Steve Kragthorpe and I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see him fired at the end of this year.

Of course, that’s any game that can happen in.

Louisville has much tougher opponents on the schedule than Memphis, but another awful defensive game against a non-BCS foe would just be another hit this program doesn’t have to take.

The only reason I choose this game, as being underrated is the fact that the recipes are there for disaster.

7.  Troy @ Ohio State

Appalachian State:  Part Deux.

If Buckeye fans were worried about this game, they would be right to harbor those particular emotions.

Troy is a dangerous team.

If we point to Exhibit A, we show Troy stunning Missouri.

Exhibit B shows Troy blasting Oklahoma State.

The problem?

Well, those two games were played at Movie Gallery Stadium and this is in the Horseshoe. Troy has done fine on the road in the past against LSU, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Florida State.

They aren’t going to win though, because of the losses on the offensive side of the ball.

Kenny Catthouse, Gary Banks, and Omar Haugabook are all missing and that presents a problem.  The defense isn’t experienced enough to pull off an upset of this magnitude.

But I’d watch for the Trojans to really compete with the Buckeyes and make it a game.

6.     SMU @ Navy

This game is interesting on so many levels.

First, you can’t get two more diametrically opposed offenses on a football field than the Run n’ Shoot and the triple option flex bone.

It can’t be done.

And we sort of saw this with North Texas and Navy last year, but the whole June Jones thing brings another element to this ballgame.

We all saw what Jones did with Hawaii.

The Warriors couldn’t even beat the lowliest of the low opponents but the instant Jones got there, they were competitive.

He won a WAC title in his first year, one of the most stunning turnarounds in college football history.

Now, an SMU team that flat out stunk will be turning to him for guidance to the postseason and it’s a real possibility.

Navy on the other hand will be without Paul Johnson and that brings Ken Niumatalolo into the picture.

The rookie head coach will try to keep the momentum that Johnson gained during his stay going.  This game is so important to both schools and their aspirations.

5.  Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State

If there’s any moment for Howard Schnellenberger to get his biggest win with the program that he’s managed from the get-go, this is it.

Michigan State playing in East Lansing will be no easy task, but Rusty Smith and the Owl offense are up to it.

FAU not only should be the best team in Sun Belt history, they should be able to compete with some BCS schools.

We saw how Minnesota was defeated by Florida Atlantic and how USF was pushed to the absolute brink.  This game will be a lot tougher because it will be away from the friendly confines of Boca Raton.

Mark Dantonio preaches tough defense and that just happens to be Florida Atlantic’s forte.

Anyway, if there’s a moment for the Sun Belt to really gain some national commendation, it could come in the form of an almost brand new program knocking off a mainstay in the Big 10.

Don’t count the scrappy Owls out of it.

4.  BYU @ Washington

At least for non-BCS teams, this non-conference game could have the most impact on the entire Bowl Championship Series.

Brigham Young figures to have everything in place for a run towards the coveted BCS slot that Utah, Boise State, and Hawaii have played in before.  But Washington is no pushover.

We saw what happened when Boise State traveled to the Huskies home field.

Personally, I thought the Broncos were the better of two teams but the start they got off to throw everything else off.

BYU might be susceptible to that.

I’ve long said that there would be so many more upsets if non-BCS schools got opportunities to host, but this game does not fit that description.

Jake Locker was borderline potent at different times in the season and should come into 2008 at full strength.

I actually like Washington’s defense coming into this year.

BYU’s strength is also on that side of the ball, so those may equal each other out.  Anyway, a tough road game against a BCS conference foe could be the make-or-break game for the Cougars’ BCS designs.

3.  USF @ UCF

UCF has a tune-up game against South Carolina State to start, but the season kicks off with a bang in week two against in state rival USF.

The Bulls have already risen to prominence in the state with Jim Leavitt creating the program into a Big East conference contender.

Central Florida on the other hand is still trying to become one of the big boys and that’s even more difficult now that Florida Atlantic is surging.

This game has a load of importance for both schools.

For USF, another win against UCF would assert their dominance in the series and a win for UCF would mean the Golden Knights are capable of taking the next step in their quest to become one of Florida’s state powers.

The only problem here is that UCF is short a QB with experience and Kevin Smith.

Smith was one of the better backs in the entire nation and he was basically George O’Leary’s offense.  Even so, they are one of the better teams in C-USA and the fact that they got drilled last year against the Bulls should only add fuel to the fire.

Hopefully, a change of scenery will allow for a more competitive game.

Hey, we saw what happened to Texas, right?

2.     North Texas @ Rice

Here’s a game I’d pay the price of admission for.

I was hoping for a New Mexico State/North Texas game earlier this year when both teams had an opening on the slate, but most fans of high-octane passing attacks will settle for this.

Neither of these two teams is that great right now.

North Texas struggled to stop anybody and had the worst defense in the nation by far; I don’t care what the stats say regarding total defense.  Okay, maybe not.

Perhaps it was Rice with the worst defense in the nation.

Either way, it doesn’t matter because these omnipotent passers of potency should have their way with two pass defenses that don’t even have a prayer.

North Texas ranked 18th in passing offense and lit up multiple Sun Belt teams.  Rice’s was actually better statistically even though the Mean Green passing game may have gotten more publicity.

Basically, if you like passing and points, this game may shatter the records.  If you thought the 74-62 scoring fest of Navy and North Texas was fun, this game could be even better.

1.  Tulsa @ Arkansas

This game would be a lot of fun to watch, wouldn’t it?

The much awaited return of Gus Malzahn. 

After getting ousted from Arkansas after a dismal passing attack led by Mitch Mustain and/or Casey Dick, the former Razorback offensive coordinator returns to Fayetteville with his ideal offense developed at Tulsa.

The Golden Hurricane might rely on Jacob Bower without Paul Smith, but there should be no halt in progress for the Tulsa offense.

Arkansas is another story.

They’ll be without the head coach at the time, Houston Nutt.

Bobby Petrino had a much-maligned exit from the NFL when he returned, basically without saying goodbye, to the college game.

Petrino’s team doesn’t have a whole lot going for them as of right now besides the fact that Ryan Mallett is waiting in the wings.

This game could be one of the most entertaining all year and it certainly has the storylines and potential drama to back up that prognostication.  These reasons make the Tulsa/Arkansas game the most underrated non-conference game of 2008.

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