5 predicitions for the upcoming college football season

So with football season right around the corner I thought it would be fun to make some predictions for the first entry to the Instant Replay blog:


1. USC will win the national championship - I know that's a pretty common opinion, but it's justified. In what was supposed to be a down year last year, USC lost two games by a total of 6 points, won the conference, and beat up on a good Michigan team in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans return everybody on a defense that improved a great deal over the course of last season. The offense lost a wide receiver tandem that is as good as some NFL duos, but the talent is still there at the wideout spot with Big, athletic wide outs Patrick Turner and Vidal Hazleton. They have maybe the best lineman in the country (Sam Baker) and one with the most potential (Jeff Byers) if they can replace all-american center Ryan Kalil the line will be fine. The running game needs to improve, but pick your 5 star talent to do so (Chauncey Washington, CJ Gable, Joe McKnight, etc) And they return a QB who threw for 3,300 yards 29tds and 9ints in John David Booty. Yikes.

2. Somebody will run the table in the SEC and that somebody is LSU- Not another earth shattering prediction, but the SEC is tough and coming through unscathed is no small feat. However, the schedule sets up very nicely for the Bayou Bengals, the nation's second most talented team after the Men of Troy. You can't get a better home slate than South Carolina, Florida, Auburn and Arkansas. They also don't have to play Georgia or Tennessee. The only conference foe that may be able to beat them when LSU goes on the road is Alabama, but talent wise LSU is better. If Matt Flynn can replicate his Peach Bowl performance from two years ago, LSU will overcome Les Miles' substandard coaching ability and play the Trojans for the national title. With the recent smack talk from Ol' Les towards the Trojans, that's the game college football NEEDS for the title game.

3. The nation's best player will once again NOT win the Heisman Trophy- The best player in college football resides in Fayetteville, Arkansas and wears #5. The schedule sets up the same as it did last year and IF the pigs make it to the SEC title game again McFadden will win the Heisman, but I just can't see it happening with all the turmoil that has gone on in Arkansas this offseason. With the public complaint and defection of QB Mitch Mustain and text message scandals and all it's hard to imagine Arkansas being able to overcome that. They won't sneak up on people the way they did last year either. If Arkansas loses to Alabama in week 2, they could lose 4 conference games which would probably relegate them to something like the Independence Bowl or Peach Bowl and if they lose 4 conference games then McFadden will watch someone else take his trophy in New York. My guess? John David Booty if USC runs the table or Colt Brennan, which brings me to...

4. This year's Boise State? The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors- Many people would say TCU, but going to Austin on September 8th is way more difficult than anything Hawaii has to do this season. This is what Hawaii has games 1-10: Northern Colorado, at La Tech, at UNLV, Charleston Southern, at Idaho, Utah State, at San Jose state, New Mexico State, Fresno State and at Nevada. If Hawaii isn't 10-0 at the point I'll be shocked. They close out with their two toughest games against Boise State and Washington, but both games are at home. Colt Brennan isn't a product of June Jones' run and shoot offense, he's a real big time talent with really good targets (Davone Bass and Jason Rivers) to throw to. They should cruise through the first ten and by the Boise State game the offensive line questions should be worked out. If the defense can hold opponents to 28-30 points a game, Hawaii should still win most of their games easily.

5. I will die from too much college football joy on September 8th- Just look at this slate of games:

Miami at Oklahoma
Oregon at Michigan
South Carolina at Georgia
Notre Dame at Penn State
TCU at Texas
Virginia Tech at LSU

Then throw in some interesting ones to follow like former BC head coach Tom O'Brien going back to Boston with his NC State team and a potential upset special upstart South Florida against Auburn and it makes for a great day of college football. My heart will probably explode by the end of it. Sooner if Texas loses to TCU.