Mark Your Calendars!!

Thursday, September 2^nd.  Pittsburgh @ Utah, Pitt will be the favorite to win its conference and Utah is one of the premiere non AQ conference teams.  Pitt will be ranked in the top 15 and Utah will be in the top 25.

Saturday, September 4^th.  Oregon State @ Texas Christian, both of these teams had exceptional seasons that were marred by bowl losses (and losing the biggest Civil War ever played in OSU’s case).  There are some major conference implications as the Mountain West and Pac10 seem to be building quite a rivalry.  Both teams should be in the top 20.

Monday, September 6^th.  Boise State vs. Virginia Tech @FedEx Field, Boise will almost certainly start next season in the top 5 and Virginia Tech will be close.  Whoever wins this game will be a front runner to play in the title game.  Kellen Moore and Ryan Williams are both Heisman hopefuls who can put their names into the national scene with a big game.

Saturday, September 11^th.  Miami @ Ohio State, Randy Shannon was the defensive coordinator for the 2002 Hurricanes team that Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes beat in the national championship game, Shannon will be looking for revenge.  Ohio State will be ranked in the top 3, Miami the top 20.  A big game from quarterback Terrelle Pryor or Jacory Harris will propel them to the front of the Heisman race.

Saturday, September 18^th.  Georgia Tech @ North Carolina, the ACC will be very competitive next year and this game will play a large role in determining the pecking order.  These are both top 20 teams.

Saturday, September 25^th.  Alabama @ Arkansas, Arkansas’s offense should be ever more effective than last year’s and that could spell trouble for an Alabama defense that will be breaking in a bunch of new starters, of course Alabama is pretty tough on the offensive side of the ball too.  This game will have major Heisman implications for Ryan Mallet who will try and have a season defining game by leading his team to an upset over what should be the number one team in the country.

Saturday, October 2^nd.  Oklahoma vs. Texas (@ Cotton Bowl) AND Florida @ Alabama, all four of these teams are perennial national title contenders so it’s impossible to pick one game over the other.  All of these teams will probably start next season in the top 15 and still be there by the time these games roll around.  Mark Ingram can make a big Heisman statement with a big game against Florida.

Saturday, October 9^th.  LSU @ Florida, since 2003 the winner of this game has won a national title four different times.  Both of these teams should be in the top 20 when they meet.

Saturday, October 16^th.  Ohio State @ Wisconsin, the first of the three major games in the Big10 this year.  Wisconsin’s offense should provide Ohio State’s defense with a tough test as they will boast one of the strongest rushing attacks in the country.  Camp Randall should be insane with the Buckeyes in town for a probable night game.

Saturday, October 23^rd.  Notre Dame @ Navy, this game has been highly entertaining over the past few years and Navy should definitely be able to contend with the Irish.  A loss would be catastrophic for the start of the Brian Kelly era.  Ricky Dobbs is also a dark horse Heisman contender and a big game over a high profile team like Notre Dame would help his chances.

Saturday, October 30^th.  Oregon @ USC, the Ducks beat down the Trojans at Autzen last year but they will be playing in LA this year.  Lane Kiffin is going to need to coach USC up on offense and defense if they want to play with Oregon this year.  Either LaMichael James or Jeremiah Masoli can boost their Heisman chances with a big win over USC.

Saturday, November 6^th.  Alabama @ LSU, another big time SEC showdown.  You can bet that everyone will be trying to take down Alabama this year and LSU is one of the most hostile environments for visiting teams in the country.

Saturday, November 13^th.  Miami @ Georgia Tech, two of the top ACC teams will battle each other for a spot in the ACC title game.  Georgia Tech’s triple option is always fun to watch and if a team struggles to defend it the rushing yards will pile up.

Saturday, November 20^th.  Ohio State @ Iowa, much like it did in 2009 this game will probably act as an effective Big10 title game.  No one would be surprised if both of these teams were undefeated when this game comes up and whoever wins will have a great chance at playing in Glenville for a national title.  A big game here could help Terrelle Pryor’s Heisman chances greatly.

Friday, November 26^th and Saturday, November 27^th.  It’s rivalry week.  Watch your favorite team, and then go party or mourn.

Saturday, December 4^th.  SEC Championship game, it’s not like it has determined the last four national title winners or anything…

Saturday, December 11^th.  Army vs. Navy, one of the most underrated rivalries and best traditions in college football.  It’s also the last non bowl game of the year.