Where Will Gameday Go?

ESPN College Gameday is a guy's best friend in the fall, and there is no doubting it. Waking up and turning on Gameday is the first step in order to have a successful weekend.

I am excited that the whole gang is back once again, with Chris Fowler, Erin Andrews, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and of course the lovable mascot man himself, Lee Corso. 

The season kicks off in just four weeks, and it has already been announced where the crew will be headed for the first three shows.

My predictions are based on whom I think will be highly ranked and the fact that ESPN College Gameday does not normally go to the same conference in back-to-back weeks.

9/3: Arlington (Texas), Oregon Ducks vs. LSU Tigers

Hello Heisman! If LaMichael James can go bonkers against a fast-and-furious SEC defense, then he may very well jump ahead of everybody and never look back. More importantly, No. 3 Oregon is attempting to get back onto the national scene by knocking off No. 4 LSU.

This is among the top games of the entire season as we have arguably the fastest offense in America against one of the fastest defenses.

LSU's of Patrick Petersen should be forgotten, with Morris Clairborne, Tyrann Mathieu, and Tharold Simon all returning in the Bayou.

The LSU front four is loaded as they have the beef and the talent that can disrupt the timing and rhythm of a Ducks offense that returns just two offensive linemen.

But, will Jordan Jefferson avoid turning the ball over against the Ducks opportunistic, quick defense? Can Darron Thomas light up SEC defenses in back-to-back games? Will Les Miles attempt to eat a piece of Jerry Jones's artificial turf at Cowboys Stadium?

This game has epic proportions, with the winner getting a head start in the BCS National Championship race and the loser being forced to run the table.

Drama's Way Too Early Pick: 

LSU 30, Oregon 24 

9/10: Ann Arbor (Mich.), Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Michigan Wolverines

Forget that it is the first-ever night game at the Big House and that the teams involved happen to be two of the greatest programs in the history of the game; the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner himself, former Wolverine Desmond Howard, is being honored since he was just inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. 

On the field, Michigan opens their season with five straight home games and could be ranked before they get a chance to knock off the Irish.

Notre Dame is currently sitting at No. 18 in the USA Today Preseason Coaches' Poll, and Brian Kelly has already stated that he will announce who his starting QB is within 10 days of the season opener against South Florida. 

Brady Hoke would get a ton of love from the entire nation if his Wolverines could upset the Irish. It would also be one hell of a springboard going into Big Ten play as Denard Robinson will be looking to take advantage of a Notre Dame secondary that allowed 214 YPG through the air last year, good for 54th in the country. 

The Golden Domers feature a solid 3-4 defense led by All-American candidate Manti Te'o. Te'o and his LBs against Shoelace will be one of the best matchups we will see early on in the season.

Win or lose, the Irish will attempt to get back into the BCS for the first time since 2006.    

Drama's Way Too Early Pick: 

Michigan 21, Notre Dame 17 

9/17: Tallahassee (Fla.), Oklahoma Sooners at Florida State Seminoles

Avoiding a sixth-straight BCS loss, Oklahoma thrashed Connecticut 48-20 in last year's Fiesta Bowl. Now, the Boomer Sooners are atop the coaches' poll as the preseason No. 1 team in America and are the odds-on favorite by many to win the BCS National Championship! 

Still, the only two teams that have ever won a wire-to-wire BCS Title have been the 1999 Florida State Seminoles and the 2004 USC Trojans. The mighty Sooners do have the weapons to become the third, but a trip to Tallahassee in the third week of September will be quite the battle.

Florida State will move up a spot after the LSU-Oregon game, but they are looking to take America by surprise by finally winning on the national stage. They have not won a BCS Bowl since the 1999 National Championship game and have failed to finish a season in the top 10 since the 2000-01 season.

The winner of the game between these two premier programs controls its own destiny towards a berth in Louisiana.

I cannot fathom the raucous atmosphere that will be on display at Doak Campbell Stadium.

The matchup most experts are drooling over is Landry Jones, Ryan Broyles, Kenny Stills, and the rest of the Sooner receiving core against a gifted 'Noles secondary that includes Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes.

I could write a book on this game as I rank it as the No. 1 game to watch in the entire regular season.

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

Florida State 31, Oklahoma 30 

9/24: College Station (Texas), Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas A&M Aggies

Both of these high-octane offenses will look to impress us in week four of the college football season.

The Aggies have QB Ryan Tannehill, who ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer says is a "future first-rounder."

The Aggies, though, did get blown out by LSU in the Cotton Bowl 41-24. A&M returns its entire team outside of Von Miller, making the lofty goal of a BCS appearance seem achievable.

Mike Sherman has done a tremendous job and has a ton of playmakers on offense, the most noteworthy being WRs Jeff Fuller and Ryan Swope. Running backs Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray are not bad options either.

Mike Gundy has a trio of stars himself in QB Brandon Weeden, WR Justin Blackmon, and RB Joseph Randle. The Cowboys offense is always explosive (even without Holgorsen), but the question of whether or not the defense can perform at a high level will always remain.

However, guys like Shaun Lewis, Richetti Jones, Markelle Martin, and Brodrick Brown make this an improved Oklahoma State defense.

In the end the 12th man could be the difference as the Aggies boast a rangy defense that can roam sideline to sideline with the best of anybody from the Big 12's nine other teams.

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

A&M 35, OKST 31

 

10/1: Madison (Wis.), Nebraska Cornhuskers at Wisconsin Badgers

Welcome to the Big Ten, Nebraska! Starting off in a primetime night game in front of a rowdy 80,000 plus at Camp Randall Stadium will be insane.

The Badgers will be looking to "jump around" as this game will be North Carolina State transfer Russell Wilson's first true test in a Badger uniform.

As always, Bielema has a loaded backfield (James White and Montee Ball) that will be running behind another massive offensive line.

In order for Wilson to be productive, he needs a healthy and productive season out of the very talented Nick Toon. Toon could be the difference in the game if he manages to stretch the field to keep the Huskers defense honest.

Nebraska goes into the game at 3-2 all-time against Wisconsin, and they also go into this game with a 13-2 record in conferences openers, although none of those were in the Big Ten. 

These teams may be in opposite divisions, but this game could go a long way in the BCS hunt as well as the Big Ten race.

The "Blackshirt Defense" has an All-American-caliber player at each level on defense.

DT Jared Crick is a beast up front, and LB Lavonte David is a tackling machine that just swarms to the ball. The best corner in the Big Ten and possibly the nation may very well be Alfonzo Dennard. If he can lock down and minimize Nick Toon, the Badgers may not be able to find the end zone much.

In a hostile environment, Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez will have to stay poised and make a few big throws if he wants to avoid getting bit by the Badgers. 

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

Nebraska 20, Wisconsin 17 

10/8: Blacksburg (Va.), Miami Hurricanes at Virginia Tech Hokies

The ACC has been dreadful for years, so listen up before you scold me for taking this game over an SEC one such as Auburn at Arkansas, Georgia at Tennessee, or Florida @ LSU.

Both of these teams will be undefeated coming into this meeting, the Hokies very likely will be in the top 10, and the winner of this game could be looking at an undefeated regular season or at least a crack at the ACC Championship and a possible BCS Bowl!

Miami has been a joke the past few years as they were completely disinterested in their Sun Bowl beating by Notre Dame, but this team has a ton of upside under Al Golden.

Nearly every Hurricane starter is the same as last season, and if Jacory Harris can rally the troops around him for one final hurrah, something special could be on the way. 

Virginia Tech ended their season on a sour note by taking a beating from the Stanford Cardinal 40-12 in the BCS Orange Bowl. The Hokies are out to prove the naysayers wrong and prove that they are as legit as any program in America.

Frank Beamer is one of the elite coaches in the game today as he is looking for his eighth-straight season of 10 or more wins!

David Wilson is expected to have a sensational season in the backfield, and the receiving core is filthy good, led by Jarrett Boykin, Dyrell Roberts, Marcus Davis, and Danny Coale.

The last time these two teams met on Gameday was just two seasons ago when the Hokies blasted the Canes 31-7 at Lane Stadium. "Da U" was supposedly back in 2009, but we were fooled.

So, is this the game Miami finally proves they are officially back, or will we have to wait a bit longer once again?

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

 Virginia Tech 24, Miami 17 

10/15: Starksville (Miss.), South Carolina Gamecocks at Miss. State Bulldogs

Dan Mullen made everybody look clueless after putting together a sensational 9-4 season, which was capped off by a 52-14 beatdown of the Michigan Wolverines in the Gator Bowl.

Forget that it was the worst beating in bowl history for the storied Big Ten program because the bigger headline should have been about how big of a jump the Bulldogs are already taking. 

I had never thought that the guru himself, Dan Mullen, would put together a legit top-20 team this early in his tenure.

But the more you doubt him, the worse he makes you look. (He does it with the least sexy offense I have ever seen, by the way.)

QB Chris Relf just finds ways to win, and his RB Vick Ballard is a little bulldog who fights for every yard he gets.

Mississippi State is tremendous on both lines of scrimmage. They were use to getting manhandled up front for so many years, but now times are changing. Fletcher Cox and Josh Boyd may be the best duo of interior linemen in the entire SEC! 

The other sideline will feature the 'ol visor-wearing ball coach himself, Steve Spurrier.

He has the most physical downhill runner in the country in Marcus Lattimore. Call it a man crush, but Lattimore is my pick for the Doak Walker Award.

Lattimore was the best freshman in America last year and will continue to gash the SEC, despite running behind a middle-of-the-pack OL. 

His teammate WR Alshon Jeffrey may be the best at his position, also. Jeffrey was slowed down in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, but he can catch a dart in mid-air with his freakish athletic ability.

Also, Stephen Garcia returns (again) under center and is looking to finally put it together.

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

South Carolina 23, Mississippi State 17

10/22: East Lansing (Mich.), Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan State Spartans

Forget that he is the best mascot in all of sports, but Sparty had plenty to cheer about one season ago, at least until Michigan State was ambushed 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl by an angry Alabama Crimson Tide team that could not live up the hype as the preseason No. 1.

The Spartans return all of their playmakers back on offense as QB Kirk Cousins; RBs Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell; and WRs BJ Cunningham, Keshawn Martin, and Keith Nichol all attempt to start off where they stopped in the Big Ten. 

They are physically dominant in the front four, as well, with Jerel Worthy, Tyler Hoover, Kevin Pickelman, and Williams Gholston. Worthy has a chance to be a special player as we may see him leave school early to play on Sundays next season.

Also, not enough can be said about Mark Dantonio, who has now led the Spartans to nine-plus-win seasons in two of the last three years. He has recruited his own players and has made them a smart, disciplined, never-say-die group of men.

Still, the questions remain as to whether or not this Spartan squad has the goods to sniff a double-digit win season again.

Wisconsin had to go East Lansing last year and came in as the slight favorites since they were ranked 11th at the time.

The Badgers lost 34-24, and it was their worst defensive performance all season. It was the one game in which JJ Watt was not constantly harassing the opposing QB, and without his coming back for his senior, somebody else will have to rise to the occasion. 

The Wisconsin LB core looks to be much improved, with the return of MLB Chris Borland, who missed the entire season in 2010 due to injury. Borland and Mike Taylor form one of the better duos in the Big Ten as they should both come close to 90 tackles a piece. 

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

 Wisconsin 27, Michigan State 24 

10/29: Los Angeles, Stanford Cardinal at Southern California Trojans

The Stanford Cardinal may have lost their man in charge in Jim Harbaugh, but the return of Andrew Luck certainly has people coming back for more.

A 12-1 season and a top-five finish were two things nobody saw coming—quite frankly, not even Stanford saw it coming.

Harbaugh's intensity and physicality on both sides of the ball was a thing of beauty that you just normally never see out of Pac-12 teams.

The Cardinal had the best OL in America next to Wisconsin's, but the loss of center Chase Beeler could be tough. They do return their two All-Americans in David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin, but the other three linemen do not have much—if any—experience.

Stepfan Taylor returns as the main man of the three-headed monster that features Anthony Wilkerson and Tyler Gaffney. The three combined for over 1,700 yards a year ago, with Taylor rushing for over 1,100 of them. With a fairly mediocre receiving core, it is vital that Taylor stays healthy and that nobody becomes complacent with all the success they had last year.

The USC Trojans are coming off their lowest win total since 2001 (6-6), which was Pete Carroll's first season in LA. The main culprit for the tough 8-5 season a year ago was a defense that continually gave up a boatload of yards.The defense was 84th in the nation, allowing 400 YPG.

Wowza!   

Matt Barkley will look to put together a nice junior season, during which he may be looked at as a future first-round draft pick.

It was in this game a season ago that USC lost in the final minute to Stanford 37-35, but USC saw freshmen receiver Robert Woods make a name for himself as he torched the Cardinal secondary for 224 yards and three touchdowns on 12 receptions! 

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

USC 34, Stanford 27

11/5: Tuscaloosa (Ala.), LSU Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama is as loaded as it ever has been, despite the losses of Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, and Marcell Dareus.

The safety tandem of Mark Barron and Robert Lester may be the most talented we have seen in recent memory, and the LB corps, led by Courtney Upshaw and Dont'a Hightower, is the best in America.

Phillip Sims looks as though he has the edge at QB, but whether it is him or AJ McCarron is irrelevant due to the talent that is around the two.

Duron Carter, DeAndrew White, Darius Hanks, and Marquis Maze make up a solid receiving corps. Meanwhile, Trent Richardson is a freak among freaks in the backfield at 5'11" and 224 pounds. 

The Bayou Bengals will rely on Jordan Jefferson one last time as they hope he puts the ball in the hands of his playmakers.

Reuben Randle and Russell Shepard are two explosive wideouts that are the main pieces of this offense when the ground game gets rolling.

Speaking of the backfield, look for Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, and Alfred Blue to all get their fair shares of carries. Ware ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game, and he should be starting behind an experienced Tigers offensive line.  

Suffering a tough 24-21 loss one season ago was heartbreaking for Nick Saban and the Tide. Being favored to win the SEC once again does not have Saban in a good mood. (Is he ever?)

So, expect Alabama to come into this game, which has SEC and BCS Title implications, with full focus and intensity in front of 101,000 strong.

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

 Alabama 24, LSU 17

11/12: Boise (Idaho), TCU Horned Frogs at Boise State Broncos

Kellen Moore is 38-2 as a starter and could have the record of most wins in college football history (46) if his Broncos come into this game undefeated.

One of his two career losses was to these TCU Horned Frogs in the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl.

Moore got his revenge in the '09 BCS Fiesta Bowl and, to makes matters worse for TCU, the Horned Frogs must travel to the Smuf Turf in their final season in the Mountain West Conference. 

This game is not only for the crown of the MWC, but the winner will have the upper hand in getting a BCS at-large bid.

Boise State is 69-2 at home since 2000, and they are undefeated there during the Chris Petersen era. 

Kellen Moore will have no problems, even without the best two wide receivers the program has ever seen. Titus Young and Austin Pettis are gone, but Tyler Shoemaker, Geraldo Hiwat, Gabe Linehan, and Kyle Efaw will pick up right where they left off last season.

Also, don't forget the "muscle hamster," Doug Martin, who came out of nowhere last season to rush for 1,260 yards and 12 TDs.

Nate Potter and Thomas Byrd are fine linemen that will continue to control the line of scrimmage. 

TCU looks to replace their all-time-great QB Andy Dalton with Casey Pachall.

Luckily, the backfield is loaded with a ton of talent. Ed Wesley has speed that kills, and even his backup Matthew Tucker could carry some of the load.

The Frogs also return a tremendous tandem at LB in Tank Carder and Tanner Brock, who both roam the sidelines and hit like a ton of bricks.

Two of the finest coaches in America square off in what is starting to turn into a rivalry between the Broncos and the Horned Frogs.

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

 Boise State 28, TCU 20 

11/19: Eugene (Ore.), Southern California Trojans @ Oregon Ducks

Matt Barkley needs to put together a few huge victories in order to live up to the hype he brought in.

USC has arguably nothing to play for without a bowl game or a Pac-12 championship in its near future.

However, USC needs to show the world they are no longer the miserable 8-5 team that had an abysmal defense or a struggling passing offense.

Barkley has one stud in Robert Woods, but there need to be more threats down the field in order for the Trojans to have a solid second-year campaign for Kiffin. Brice Butler and Kyle Prater may be those players to step up, but I am looking for true freshman George Farmer to make an immediate impact.

Darron Thomas, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, and Lache Seastrunk are licking their chops at another opportunity to run wild on the nationally ever-so-popular Trojans. The Ducks gashed USC for 311 yards and three touchdowns last year in what was James's Heisman campaign game as he rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries!

Jeff Maehl's 12 TDs and senior leadership will certainly be missed. However, TE David Paulsen and WR Lavasier Tuinei are talented enough to inflict some damage.

The difference in last year's 53-32 beatdown was the shutdown defense the Ducks displayed in the fourth quarter. They beat up the Trojans with toughness, quickness, and a ton of athleticism.

Cliff Harris, John Boyett, and Eddie Pleasant make up the best secondary in the Pac-12 and will certainly challenge the Trojans receivers.

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

 Oregon 35, USC 24 

11/26: Gainesville (Fla.), Florida State Seminoles at Florida Gators

If the Seminoles happen to be undefeated, College Gameday would be calling once again to this rivalry.

The show's last attendance of this rivalry was for Tim Tebow's final game at the Swamp, and you could only imagine how rowdy and anxious Gator nation will be if they have the chance to spoil a national championship for their much-hated rivals in their own backyard.

The Gators previously owned the 'Noles as they went into last year winning the last six meetings between the two.

However, FSU finally got their revenge as they chopped the Gators 31-7.

The Gators now have a new man calling the shots as Will Muschamp will attempt to fix the offensive problems Florida had last season.

For all the athletes and speed demons the Gators recruit, you would think that averaging more than 350 YPG and ranking above 82nd in the nation is not too much to ask for.

Florida has arguably been the best program in the BCS era, with four appearances in BCS bowls, including two national championships.

Urban Meyer made a personal choice to step down, though he was a remarkable 65-15 with an SEC record of 38-13, which is unheard of.

Muschamp has a ton of young talent on his squad, but his front four is capable of becoming one of the finest in America. Sophomore sensations Ronald Powell and Shariff Floyd were once highly touted recruits, and they need to start playing like it.

The offense was a mess last year, and John Brantley can either hide in the gauntlet known as the SEC or rise above the haters and put together a solid senior season. He has the playmakers but may have to buy some time in the pocket in this game as Florida returns only one returner on the OL and Florida State has All-American DE Brandon Jenkins coming off the edge.

A battle for state and possibly college football supremacy, this game could draw a deafening crowd.  

Drama's Way Too Early Pick:

 Florida State 27, Florida 24