College Football 2011: 50 Bold Predictions Heading into Week 2

Week 1 of the 2011 season of college football was jam packed with story lines, predictable outcomes, upsets, near misses, climatic interruptions and overall a huge heaping of 100 percent grade “A” football action.

Yes friend, from the first whistle on Thursday evening until the final snap of Monday night we were quite literally slammed with a deluge of gridiron greatness.

But, despite the warm afterglow of Week 1 and regardless of the satisfaction we felt after pushing away from the table we can’t afford to spend too much time reveling in the fact that our favorite time of year is back because just around the corner, literally mere hours away, Week 2 of the season awaits like a big storm tracking on the radar.

And so, to equip you the reader and football enthusiast, the following slideshow looks ahead to the second act of our campaign and goes out on a limb with 50 bold and daring predictions for Week 2 of collegiate gridiron action.

The Big 12 Will Drop a Game to the Pac-12 before Saturday

Who knows who will be in the Big 12 and Pac-12 for 2012 but in Week 2 of 2011 look for at least one Pac-12 upset victory against a member of the ever shrinking “Big” 12…take your pick.

Thursday, Sept. 8:  Arizona at Oklahoma State

Friday, Sept. 9:  Missouri at Arizona State

The FCS Wins 2 Games Against FBS Opponents

The FBS was 36-2 against FCS opponents in Week 1 with the two losses being Richmond over Duke and Sacramento State over Oregon State; in addition to these actual defeats five FBS teams escaped with “near misses” coming within three points of losing to FCS foes.

Week 2 features 20 FBS vs. FCS clashes and it’s fairly easy to argue that this weekend could pay witness to the fall of two more top tier teams.

Following is the complete list with special mention to match-ups such as Morgan State vs. Bowling Green, Alabama State vs. Eastern Michigan, North Dakota at Idaho, Grambling at ULM, Nicholls State at Western Michigan and Texas State at Wyoming.

Morgan State at Bowling Green

Stony Brook at Buffalo

Wofford at Clemson

Northern Colorado at Colorado State

Alabama State at Eastern Michigan

Charleston Southern at Florida State

North Dakota at Idaho

South Dakota St. at Illinois

Central Arkansas at Louisiana Tech

Grambling State at ULM

NW State La at LSU

Southern Illinois at Ole Miss

Eastern Illinois at Northwestern

Gardner-Webb at Ohio

Maine at Pitt

Rhode Island at Syracuse

Weber State at Utah State

Norfolk State at West Virginia

Nicholls State at Western Michigan

Texas State at Wyoming

Notre Dame…0-2

Yep, it’s almost impossible to conceive the Irish dropping the first two games of the 2011 season but the Big House with lights for the first time in history is no place to try to fix QB woes and a bad case of the turnovers.

This game could certainly go either way and the Irish are likely to be favored, but it’s the wrong place at the wrong time for Coach Kelly and company.

Tommy Rees Will Start in Ann Arbor

The Dayne Crist show may be at least temporarily sidelined in favor of the Tommy Rees channel…Rees nearly brought the Irish back last Saturday against USF which was one of the few positive things to come out of Notre Dame’s home opener.

If Rees can lead the Irish to a win in Week 2, he may retain the job for the rest of the campaign regardless this is certainly still a two horse race.

Dan Mullen Will Win His First Game over an SEC West Opponent That Is Not Ole Miss

Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen hasn’t yet beaten a divisional foe other than Ole Miss who Mullen bested in both his first two seasons in Starkville.

This hurdle has an optimal chance of being overcome (along with the Bulldogs current ugly 0-11 run in SEC openers) when Mississippi State travels to Auburn this weekend.

The defending BCS champion Tigers will still be struggling with the biggest amount of personnel turnover in the nation but will be playing a ranked team in Week 2 rather than a very scrappy Utah State squad who came just one defensive stand away from the biggest win in program history.

TCU Wins in Week 2

After suffering a defensive meltdown of historic proportions against Baylor in Week 1, the Horned Frogs travel to Colorado to face a very good Air Force team this weekend.

Though the Falcons will have every reasonable chance to register another blow on the retooling Toads don’t look for Gary Patterson and his reptilian followers to drop to 0-2, the Baylor game is just the kind of contest TCU can use to win every game until they face Boise State upon the blue turf in mid November.  

Utah Wins its First Pac-12 Conference Game

The Utes won’t wait long to play their first ever Pac-12 game and travel to USC this weekend to clash with the team from Troy who just sent the Golden Gophers home with a two–point loss in Week 1.

Utah hasn’t played in historic LA Coliseum since 1948 lost when they were blanked 27-0 but they have reeled off three straight road openers (at Michigan in 2008, at San Jose State in 2009 and at New Mexico in 2010).

Utah’s conference opening victory (on the road nonetheless) will long be remembered as one of the great moments in program history.

Lane Kiffin haters will rejoice, BCS haters will dance in the streets and the Utes will be one step closer to a Pac-12 South title.

BYU Beats Texas in Austin

Most college football enthusiasts, including myself, expect Texas to play better (much better) in 2011 with the obvious reasoning being a supremely talented pool of personnel.

Texas won its opener against Rice last season and looks to be back on track while BYU managed a narrow victory over Ole Miss.

But (and though the Longhorns will be bowl eligible in 2011) the Cougars will sneak up on the Longhorns and win a close one against Texas who still hasn’t quite worked out the kinks from last season.

BYU is a lion in lamb's clothing, a team that dropped to 7-6 last year in a rebuilding cycle that had spent the four previous seasons at the 10-win plus mark.

Instead of signaling the beginning of the end for Texas, the loss to the Cougars will mark the beginning of the new beginning.

Oklahoma Will Stay Number 1

The target will stay on the Sooners' back for one more precious week as Oklahoma will reign supreme and be ranked No. 1 going into their Week 3 extravaganza deluxe against Florida State.

This bold statement is suitably bolstered by the fact that the Sooners are off in Week 2.

Nevada Will Lose their Season Opener

The Wolfpack did far more than just play giant killers last season by virtue of defeating No. 3 ranked Boise State in overtime; they went 13-1 and finished ranked among the best 15 teams in the land.

Nevada opens its 2011 campaign (minus much of their offensive firepower, which wasn’t actually offensive unless you played them) this coming weekend in Eugene against an Oregon team that flies home after a disappointing showing against LSU.

The Wolfpack won’t have an easy go at Autzen as the Ducks flap out their frustrations against a good team that has too much retooling to do to win against the win thirsty Quackers.

Oregon State will be 0-2

Unthinkably, the Beavers head into Week 2 an 0-1 team after suffering a devastating home loss in overtime against FCS Sacramento State.

Seriously, it’s the kind of loss you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

Top ranked Wisconsin hosts the Beavers in  Week 2, a contest that won’t apply any salve to OSU's painful wounds as they drop to 0-2 and limp into a much needed bye week.

Attrition Will Still Matter

There was much ado in the offseason made of whether the huge levels of personnel turnover suffered by successful 2010 teams like TCU and Auburn really mattered or not coming into 2011.

Did these schools really have talent pools deep enough to field another successful team and if there really was a drop-off in performance, how hard would it be to overcome?

Well, Week 1 definitely drew a pretty clear short term answer to that question as TCU was shocked by Baylor and Auburn narrowly avoided being dropped by a team that is 31-86 since 2001.

Though both teams may rebound as the remainder of the season plays out (especially TCU who faces a far easier schedule), we know now that attrition does matter and will continue to effect teams as they work to replace phenomenal athletes that combined to orchestrate a symphony of success in 2010.

The Big 12 Will Hang On For One More Week

Despite our weekly prescribed dose of rumor administered by the NCAA nurses, the dwindling Big 12 will live at least one more week.

Check back in daily for vital signs because it’s mildly entertaining to watch Dan Bebee scream for the resuscitation paddles.

Brian Kelly Will 86 the Bo Pelini Impression

Those of us who have followed the Brian Kelly coaching tour were no doubt alarmed by his facial expressions, color and overall disposition on Saturday afternoon as the Irish repeatedly coughed up the ball in the red zone.

Kelly’s Bo Pelini impersonation was absolutely understandable but win or lose, count on the second year coach in South Bend to look more like himself in Week 2.

Though Notre Dame might lose again, it’s hard to imagine a similar implosion either on the field or on the coach's face.

The Rumor Mill Will Run Rampant

Regardless of what actually happens on the field this coming weekend we should gird our loins for opening up the paper or cranking up the Internet to be flooded with a generous helping of rumor, suggestion and innuendo regarding college football.

“Big 12 to Fall This Week!”

“Virginia Tech to the SEC with Texas A&M!”

“Clemson to go Independent!”

“ACC to join Big East to Form Super Duper Conference!”

“Texas to Buy Greenland and Play Local Team on Longhorn Network!”

“TMZ Uncovers Nick Saban’s Childhood Pen Pal Letters to Les Miles!”

“Lane Kiffin to Star in Remake of Grease!”

“SEC Holds Secret Talks with the Sun Belt Conference to Form Minor League College Football”

“Betty White Joins Cast of ESPN Game Day”

Mark Richt Will Be 0-2 for the First Time at Georgia

In what was definitely a possibility prior to the season kicking off, Georgia follows its loss to a very good Boise State squad with an equally heart breaking defeat to South Carolina in Athens.

This doesn’t mean Georgia can’t and won’t be able to salvage their season (as Virginia Tech did in 2010) but it does mean that Mark Richt’s seat heats way up and subsequently a very, very good coach may soon come on the market.

Penn State vs. Alabama Will Be an Instant Classic

While everyone slowly exhales on their cigarillo after Week 1 match-ups like LSU vs. Oregon and Boise State vs. Georgia and looks ahead to Week 3 zingers like Oklahoma at Florida State don’t forget about the afterglow worthy meeting betwixt Penn State and Alabama slated for this weekend.

It’s Happy Valley, it’s a White Out, its two well coached teams playing in a game that could quite literally turn the entire season on its head…

Alabama and Penn State haven’t met since 1989 and though the Tide are 9-5 against the Nittany Lions, Alabama is only 2-3 in non conference away games since 2000 (this figure doesn’t include games played on neutral ground).

Of note, replacing your top three offensive skill positions is made a lot more difficult on the road against a BCS opponent (as opposed to at home against Kent State from the MAC).

Boise State Remains Undefeated

The Blue Turfers have finally knocked off a member of the dominant SEC and won’t have to worry about suffering an emotional hangover defeat in Week 2 because they’ll be off this weekend giving them an opportunity to bask in the limelight and gird their loins for a road trip to scenic Toledo, Ohio for Week 3.

Turnovers Will Screw Something Up

Anyone who watched Notre Dame fall to USF was duly reminded of the power of the turnover.

Yes friend, let us pay our respects to the interception, the fumble, the muffed kick return and the tip drill…for the turnover is always hiding ready to pounce and seize the victory and steal what looked like a sure thing.

Fear the turnover for she will lay her hand upon your soul and rip it out…most likely when you least expect it.

Weather Delays, Postponements, Cancellations Continue

It’s rare to tune into the Weather Channel and see the gang down at TWC run highlights of several different college football games with a decidedly climatic conditions angle.

But that’s exactly what happened this past weekend with a string of postponements and delays due to wild weather patterns associated with El Hot-o and El Crazy-o.

Look for more potential for rain, hail and high winds to affect play in Week 2…patterns that will be helped along by at least three new storms brewing in the tropics.

Case Keenum and Houston Beat North Texas and Never Look Back

After knocking off UCLA 38-34 in Houston last weekend, the Cougars have a reasonable chance of completely running the tables in 2011.

Following is the “to-do” list to perfection.

at North Texas

at Louisiana Tech

vs. Georgia State

at UTEP

vs. ECU

vs. Marshall

vs. Rice

at UAB

at Tulane

vs. SMU

at Tulsa

Big Ten Legends Division Goes 6-0

The Legends of the Big Ten run the tables in Week 2 and earn the new faction its first perfect weekend.

Here’s the breakdown:

Nebraska over Fresno State

Michigan State over FAU

Iowa over Iowa State

Northwestern over Eastern Illinois

Michigan over Notre Dame

Minnesota over New Mexico State

UCF vs. Boston College … the Sleeper

Yep, I’ve got Alabama/Penn State, South Carolina/Georgia, Mississippi State/Auburn, Utah/USC and Notre Dame/Michigan on my viewing schedule for Saturday afternoon but I’ll also be checking in on a night clash between BC and UCF that shouldn’t be lost in the crowd.

UCF won the C-USA crown last season and beat Georgia for their first ever bowl victory and an 11-3 record.

Boston College comes off a disappointing loss to Northwestern and needs to beat UCF before hitting their ACC schedule.

These are two good teams who should match-up well for one of the better games of the weekend.

Andrew Luck Moves One Step Closer

Look for the singular Cardinal to improve on their 4-13 non-conference road record since 1996 against when they travel to the state of North Carolina to face Duke in Week 2.

Another Stanford win also means Andrew Luck is one step closer to being the second guy from the land of the dancing tree to take home college football’s biggest individual prize.

Virginia Tech Erases 2010’s 0-2 with 2-0 Start in 2011

The Hokies dropped back-to-back games in Week 1 and Week 2 last season to Boise State and FCS James Madison before reeling off 11 straight wins that only ended when they succumbed to Stanford in the Orange Bowl.

The 2011 edition of Hokie football won’t have to play from the same big hole as they should follow-up on their opening win over FCS Appalachian State with a victory at East Carolina in Week 2.

Half of the Big 12 Rest Their Case

A full one half of the remaining 10 teams in the Big 12 will take the week off from play, a brief interlude that comes conveniently at a time when these programs might need a few extra hours in order to sort through their conference membership options.

Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Kansas State and Baylor all take Week 2 off.

Miami Takes a Big Step Forward

Regardless of how Monday night’s game against Maryland ends, Miami returns QB Jacory Harris, WR Travis Benjamin, DL Marcus Forston, DL Adewale Ojomo and LB Sean Spence in preparation for Ohio State in Week 3.

This marks a huge step forward for Al Golden who may be the biggest innocent bystander in college football.

Michigan State’s Signal Isn’t Picked Up, Again

Ole’ Sparty plays FAU in Week 2, scores a second straight win and flies right under everyone’s radar to play Notre Dame in Week 3.

“Oh … is Michigan State ranked again?”

Yes, they are and they have all the returning talent necessary to find their way to the first ever Big Ten championship game (where they can’t be left out the BCS by virtue of a three-way tie).

Ohio State Finishes its Era of Good Feelings

The Buckeyes will score yet another Ohio based victory in Week 2 when they take on Toledo this Saturday straight off their 42-0 man handling of in-state opponent of Akron.

Though every victory is worth celebration don’t forget that Ohio State is 42-0-1 against in-state opponents since 1922.

Wow.

Luke Fickell and his Buckeye team should savor the flavor of Week 2 because Week 3 ushers in the proverbial “rest of the schedule.”

Iowa Quietly Goes 2-0

Do you ever feel like Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes play better without the blaring distraction of huge expectations?

Iowa will be 2-0 after a Week 2 victory over Iowa State and then we’ll see if they are the surprise team in what should shake out to be a legendary Big Ten Legends race.

The Hawkeyes have won six of last eight against the Cyclones and are 3-0 in the last three meetings.

The Calm Before the Rest of the Hurricane

After getting stomped 14-47 in Norman by Oklahoma in the opener, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane gets a bit of a respite by visiting the Tulane Green Wave in Week 2.

Yes friend, rest and rejuvenation is exactly what the Oklahoma based Hurricane will need before it hits the shores of Oklahoma State and Boise State in Weeks 3 and 4.

Three Top 10 teams in four weeks on the road.

Ouch.

Somebody call the Weather Channel.

Hawaii Wins Second Straight against BCS Foe

After beating Colorado 34-17 in Honolulu, the Warriors travel across the big waters and beat Washington in Seattle earning them a surprise 2-0 mark and a bunch of momentum coming into their final season in the WAC.

Ray Graham Runs For a Cool 200

Ray Graham, the junior RB from Pitt, racked up 201 yards of rushing against Buffalo in Week 1 and looks primed to run for more daylight against Maine in Week 2.

Graham’s sizzling 201 yards in Week 1 amounts to over a full quarter of his total rushing output in 2010.

Football Kick-off Doesn’t Squelch Sanction Fest

Though the actual play of games certainly soothed the weary soul of college football, the ongoing coast-to-coast investigations continue as we work our way into the meat of the 2011 campaign.

A refreshing re-focus on match-ups, stats and wins/losses certainly makes us remember why we love college football but pretending like all the crap never hit the fan is not a healthy approach nor will it fix the huge challenges that face what is still our nation’s greatest team sport.

Mike Sherman Gets Hairspray, Gel or a Hat

Once the Aggies defense began to click against SMU on Sunday night we began to see why Texas A&M is ranked among the top 10 teams in the land.

What remains up in the air (literally) in College Station is coach Mike Sherman’s hair which whipped around in the Texas wind during Week 1 like tumbleweed on a barren field.

The Aggie Commission on Coiffure is meeting this week to rule on whether Sherman should go with a spray, gel or mousse to control a hair-do that was quite out of control.

Take the Over on the Total Score of Virginia Tech vs. ECU

The Hokies and Pirates combined to score 103 points in their openers and the clash between the two in Week 2 may well produce an offensive explosion that is felt around the country.

Though Virginia Tech ought to outlast ECU, look for this one to be a bit of a score-fest.

Vontaze Burfict Sacks Mizzou

Arizona State’s LB Vontaze Burfict led the nation in Week 1 with three sacks and just might be a decisive factor in the Sun Devils huge Week 2 match-up with Missouri.

Missouri will be led offensively by new starting QB James Franklin who replaces Blaine Gabbert and a stifling defense challenging a new QB sets up a compelling clash for two teams with big aspirations in their respective BCS conferences.

The SEC Goes Undefeated in Non-Conference Play in Week 2

In a bold statement that might prove to be more risky than it seems on the surface, the dominator conference will be perfect against other conferences in Week 2.

Here is the slate:

Alabama over Penn State

LSU over FCS Northwestern State

Arkansas over New Mexico

Mississippi State over FCS Southern Illinois

Florida over UAB

Tennessee over Cincinnati

Kentucky over Central Michigan

Vanderbilt over UConn

SDSU at Army Will Be a Run Fest

Army was No. 8 in the nation last season in rushing yards and ran for a whopping 303 yards in its 26-49 loss to Northern Illinois in Week 1.

San Diego State, on the other hand, features sophomore sensation RB Ronnie Hillman who ran for 189 of the Aztecs 289 rushing yards in their Week 1 win over FCS Cal Poly.

This will be a ground game lovers delight and may come down to who can stop the run (Army was No. 46 against the run in 2010 and SDSU was No. 57).

Rice Beats Purdue for the First Time Since 1934

It took the Boilermakers 17 fourth quarter points to squelch a Week 1 Middle Tennessee upset bid but Purdue won’t get so lucky this weekend in Houston when they take on the Owls.

Rice and Purdue have met three times in history and the last time the Owls won was in 1934 in West Lafayette, overall the Boilermakers lead the series 2-1.

NIU goes 2-0 all-time Against Kansas

Northern Illinois comes riding into Week 2 off a decisive 49-26 victory over Army while Kansas beat FCS McNeese State 42-24.

Look for the MAC to thwart the Big 12 in Week 2 as the Huskies beat the Jayhawks to go 2-0 all time against Kansas (NIU beat KU 37-34 in 1983 in Lawrence).

Friday Night Football is Worth Watching Again

After Baylor hosting TCU proved to a “game of the week” candidate for the opening weekend of collegiate gridiron play, Week 2’s Friday night offering might be all that and more.

You can go out to dinner first or maybe play with the kids out in the backyard because it’s ranked Missouri at almost ranked Arizona State at 10:30PM EST this Friday night on ESPN. 

This one has all the right stuff to be both late and great. Don’t miss it.

Larry Scott is the New Man of the Hour

The Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is now the guy with a tie everyone will be watching in terms of conference realignment and/or reduction/enlargement.

Last week belonged to that fetching bow tie accented creature from Texas A&M and this week, it’s the dashing Scott on the hotline to Texas, Oklahoma and all points that serve as TV network headquarters.

The Lights Will Be on in the Big House

Michigan Stadium opened back in 1927 and has never, ever hosted a prime time night game. All that changes on Saturday night when the Wolverines face the Irish in the first ever after dark affair in Ann Arbor.

What is exciting about the light switch being flipped is that it illuminates one of the most compelling match-ups in Week 2, the struggling Irish against the rising Wolverines.

I personally wonder how a full day of celebrations will affect an already very large and very zealous Michigan crowd and if kicking off at night will give the Wolverines the after hour’s advantage of teams like Wisconsin and LSU.

Fan lubrication sometimes results in teams winning in the dark, that’s a scientific fact.

The MAC East Loses Only to Itself

The only game a MAC East division team will lose in Week 2 is the one that they have to which is the intra divisional match-up pitting Temple against Akron.

Here’s the breakdown for the rest of the division:

Ohio over FCS Gardner Webb

Kent State over Louisiana Lafayette

Buffalo over FCS Stony Brook

Bowling Green over FCS Morgan State

Miami (OH) has a bye week

Cal vs. Colorado is Not Going to Be a Conference Game

Though Colorado is now a full-fledged Pac-12 team, their first conference game will wait until October 1 when Washington State comes to Boulder.

But, wait!  California visits Colorado this weekend, isn’t that a Pac-12 game?

The answer to that question is a wacky “No” because this game was scheduled as a non-conference meeting between the Golden Bears and Buffs before Colorado left the Big 12 for the 2012 season.

The Sun Belt Gets Blitzed

Week 2 may well be an ugly one for the teams who combine to make up the Sun Belt conference.  With leader Troy off this weekend, here is what the rest of the teams will have to overcome to avoid the league running the tables in reverse.

FIU at Louisville

ULM vs. FCS Grambling State

Middle Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech

Arkansas State vs. Memphis

North Texas vs. Houston

FAU at Michigan State

Western Kentucky vs. Navy

Louisiana Lafayette at Kent State

QB Controversies Aren’t Going Away

Though you would have thought that Week 1 would have at least settled some of the QB question marks, Week 2 presents a similar unclear picture for ball tossers across this great nation.

At Penn State, it’s still Bolden vs. McGloin, at Alabama it’s Sims vs. McCarron, at Auburn its Trotter vs. Moseley, at South Carolina its Shaw vs. Garcia and of course, at Notre Dame, it’s back to Rees vs. Crist.

Other controversies could bubble back up at Texas, Miami (FL), Michigan, LSU and Texas Tech making 2011 the year of the big decision.

Robert Griffin III Gets a Full 14 Days of Glory

After leading Baylor to a stunning upset victory over No.14 TCU, RG III gets a full 14 days to bask in the glory of hanging up 359 yards and five TDs on 2010’s No. 1 ranked defense.

Yes, Baylor is off in Week 2, giving the Bears time to prep for FCS Stephen F. Austin in Week 3 and giving Griffin an extra week of “Heisman front runner” status.

I’m not saying that RGIII isn’t good enough to win the Heisman and I’m not saying that I wouldn’t celebrate his being anointed the best player in college football, I’m just saying that winning the bronze statuette at Baylor is almost impossible.

Maryland Now Has the Worst Uniforms in College Football

Just when you thought you’d seen every noxious color combination, every strange fabric, every weird design and every odious outfit, Maryland took the field on Monday night wearing what could be the worst uniform in the history of college football.

Did you ever think someone would explode the Maryland state flag on a college football uniform leaving color and pattern shrapnel from the top all the way to the bottom of the questionable kit?

Yes, it’s a Jekyll and Hyde helmet and jersey featuring a traffic sign pitted against a symbolic emblem from the Crusades; all painted on the backdrop of the fearsome “all whites.”

Football fashion gone wrong…Maryland is the new Oregon, the emerging Florida A&M and the torch bearer of bad football fashion everywhere.

These uniforms must be seen in action to fully appreciate their abusive visual package so I recommend tuning in to the September 17 home game against West Virginia (the Terrapins and their uniforms get Week 2 off).