It appears as if the Pac-10 will once again be dominated by USC. USC is currently number one in the nation and have looked the part after two early season games. The rest of the Pac-10 are not pushovers, but there doesn’t seem to be another top 10 team in the league.

UCLA looked good in the second half against a pretty tough SEC opponent (Tennessee), and there have been a lot of early offensive fireworks from teams like Cal, Oregon, and Arizona. Oregon State got themselves whipped by Penn State. Washington played a great game against BYU and was robbed of a chance at overtime. Stanford is at least competitive. Washington State is, well, Washington State is simply not very good.

USC is loaded on defense and offense. They have a really good chance at going undefeated and making it into the National Championship Game. They are my pick to win the Pac-10, but I don’t think they will go undefeated. I don’t think they will go to the National Championship game either, but we’ll leave that prediction for a different day.

Cal has a tremendous running game this year, and you know they are going to throw it well also. They need a better defense, but they always need a better defense. I think that Cal, Oregon, and Arizona St are about the same; all three be ranked throughout the season and all have a shot at beating USC.

I think UCLA, Arizona, and Washington are a step below those guys, but are still quality teams that can beat any of the top teams on a given day. Oregon State has some defensive issues, Stanford has talent and depth issues, and Washington is by far the worst team in the league.

Here are my predictions with last year’s records.

USC (7-2, 11-2): They simply have too much talent. This year the defense may be better than the offense, which is scary.

California (3-6, 7-6): I like their running game and they get Arizona St., Oregon, Washington, and UCLA at home.

Arizona State (7-2, 10-3): With a great quarterback and solid defense, they will be hard to beat on any given day, but they have some tough road games in-conference.

Oregon (5-4, 9-4): Justin Roper is looking pretty good and Oregon has the best offense in the nation—so far. They handled a pretty good Washington team in week 1, but they also have a couple of tough road games in-conference.

UCLA (5-4, 6-7): With a new coach and quarterback, there will be lots of ups and downs. They have the talent, but will be too inconsistent to finish in the top 4 of the conference.

Arizona (4-5, 5-7): The offense is looking great to start the season, but the road will get tougher when conference play starts. I don’t think they have it in the tank to break into the top 5 of the conference.

Washington (2-7, 4-9): They are much improved over last season and could pull an upset or two. I like Jake Locker.

Oregon State (6-3, 9-4): The season has started off rough and I think they will fall hard this year. They looked bad against Penn State and lost to Stanford. The offense doesn’t look so bad, but you have to play defense too.

Stanford (3-6, 4-8): Stanford is getting better, and already has a Pac-10 win over Oregon State. They are no longer the doormat of the conference. Remember, they beat USC last year!

Washington State (3-6, 5-7): Blown out twice already. It’s going to be a long year.

It was obvious after this past week’s game that West Virginia is not head and shoulders above the rest of the league as many thought in the preseason.

Here are the predictions with last season’s records:

South Florida (5-2, 9-4)

West Virginia (5-2, 11-2)

Connecticut (5-2, 9-4)

Cincinnati (4-3, 10-3)

Rutgers (3-4, 8-5)

Pittsburgh (3-4, 5-7)

Louisville (3-4, 6-6)

Syracuse (1-6, 2-10)

This year will be generally the same as last year. There is not much separating these teams, though I think that South Florida, West Virginia, and UCONN are a little better than the rest. Cincinnati and Rutgers are a little behind the top three. Pittsburgh was way overrated in the preseason and is about on par with Louisville, and a little behind Cincy and Rutgers.

Syracuse is easily the worst team in the league and one of the worst teams still playing in a BCS conference. They did win a conference game last year, but I don’t see how they will win one this year.

South Florida is my pick because I think they have the athletes to play with West Virginia, a better defense than West Virginia, and I really like Matt Grothe at quarterback.

West Virginia has some nice athletes, like Devine and White, but I think they are lacking in the passing game, and I don’t like their defense so much.

Connecticut is a nice team that has really made some big strides in their program over the last few years. Their consistency and solid defense puts them into the top 3 of the conference.

Cincinnati is a team to watch. They have a good passing attack and are not afraid of any team. They did just lose their quarterback, which drops them a notch below the top 3.

Rutgers lost Ray Rice and their offensive line is questionable because of its youth. They will have a pretty good season and become bowl eligible, but will not challenge for the Big East title.

Pittsburgh is really no better than they were last year, and Louisville still has too many questions across their entire team to be any more than a .500 team.

Of course, it will be a tight race for the Big East crown and with the way things have gone lately in college football, the only real team you can count out is the Orangemen. You think they miss Paul Pasqualoni in Syracuse?

Here are the predictions with last year’s records.

Oklahoma (6-2, 11-3): He seems to a little underrated, but Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford lead the nation in quarterback rating last year—as a freshman. DeMarco Murray will make an even bigger name for himself in 2008 and Oklahoma is one of the few teams in the Big 12 that has a nasty defense. Texas and Texas Tech are good, but Oklahoma is gunning for the national championship and they just may get a shot at it.

Texas (5-3, 10-3): Colt McCoy was a little disappointing in 2007 because his numbers were a little lower than what he put up in 2006 as a freshman. However, he was asked to do more for the offense, he threw a lot more passes and attempted nearly twice as many rushes. He will be asked to do the same again in 2008, but this year I think he will be ready for it. I see Colt McCoy being a guy mentioned in the Heisman race. Texas will once again be a force in the Big 12, but I don’t think they have the defense to get past Oklahoma on the road and will probably lose at least once more to either Texas Tech, Kansas, or Missouri.

Texas Tech (4-4, 9-4): The high-flying offense will be ready to break some records again this year. Crabtree has already exhausted the superlatives in only one year of college play. Harrell already has a 500+ yard game for the season and is looking to rewrite the record books as they say. Texas Tech has more receivers than just Crabtree and can still run the ball when they have to. Their defense will be a little better than last year. TT will be a tough team for any of the normal big dogs in the Big 12. I can see them beating Kansas and/or Texas, but I don’t think they can get past Oklahoma. I have them behind the Longhorns but would not be surprised if they finished 2^nd in the South.

Oklahoma State (4-4, 7-6): The talent drop off from the top 3 in the league to the bottom 3 is pretty striking. Oklahoma State is an average team and will probably finish with about the same record as last year. I actually see them going only 3-5 in conference unless they beat Colorado. The Cowboys are going to be experienced and are pretty solid on both sides of the ball, but this conference is just too good and they will be fighting for .500, and a bowl bid.

Texas A&M (4-4, 7-6): They no longer scare anyone. They have fallen on some hard times and the 12^th man is not really an issue when you are down by 3 touchdowns at halftime. They are not as bad as Baylor, but they are probably the 2^nd worse team in the Big 12.

Baylor (0-8, 3-9): They are the worst team in the Big 12. Their only hope for a win is against Texas A&M, but I am not so sure that A&M has fallen that far. I really don’t see them winning any games in conference. They have too many problems on each side of the ball and they simply don’t have the talent of the rest of the conference. It all comes back to recruiting, which they don’t do that well.

So this gives us Oklahoma and Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. It should be a doozy. These two teams do not meet in the regular season, so there is the chance they will both be undefeated and playing for a spot in the National Championship game.

I give the edge to Oklahoma. Both of these teams can score a ton of points, but I think Oklahoma has more talent and depth on defense. They don’t have enough to stop Missouri, but they have enough to slow them down to where the Oklahoma offense can outscore the Missouri offense.

Teams such as Nebraska and Colorado, while not ranked, have made some improvements and will make things tougher for the big boys in the conference.

Here are the predictions for the 2008 season.

Missouri (7-1, 12-2): Missouri has one of top offenses in the nation. They have a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback and also one at receiver. They looked good offensively against Illinois in week one and should continue to give Big 12 defenses trouble. Missouri doesn’t have a very tough defense, which could hurt them when they go against Oklahoma and Texas.

Kansas (7-1, 12-1): Kansas shocked the world last year with their amazing season. Things will be a little different this year. They still have a strong team, with a good defense and great leader at quarterback. The problem with this year will be that they have to play Oklahoma and Texas, which they didn’t have to do last year. They will still be a top team in the Big 12 and nationally, but they will not have that same sparkling record.

Nebraska (2-6, 5-7): Nebraska seems to have gotten tired of not being at the top of the college football world. They have taken some big steps toward becoming a part of the national college football scene. They have Bo Pelini as their new head coach, and Tom Osborne is now more involved with the program. With this and some recent good recruiting, Nebraska should improve upon their 2007 season. Pelini should bring back tough defense and an understanding of what it takes to win.

Colorado (4-4, 6-7): Colorado has also made some improvements, especially on defense. Dan Hawkins seems to have turned a corner with some recent good recruiting as well. Colorado will be playing lots of underclassmen, but they have some talent. The only reason I have them behind Nebraska is because Colorado has to play their toughest Big 12 opponents on the road this year, including Nebraska.

Kansas State (3-5, 5-7): Kansas State is a pretty good football team and another Big 12 team that can really score some points. Josh Freeman is an excellent quarterback and already has the NFL scouts drooling. The problem is that they don’t have much of a defense and they play in an incredibly tough conference. They have the ability to jump up and take a bite out of the top teams in the conference on any given day, but their record will probably mirror last season’s record.

Iowa State (2-6, 3-9): Iowa State is not a bad team, but they will finish at the bottom of the Big 12 North. They will get wins over Baylor and Texas A&M, and that will be about it as far as the conference is concerned. The Big 12 is simply too tough for them to rack up wins.

I do like Missouri to win the Big 12 North because they have too much offense and experience. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin are awesome and that spread offense is tough to handle. Missouri wil be making a legitimate push for a shot at the National Championship game if their defense can hold out.

When it comes to the Big Ten, everyone thinks immediately about Ohio State and Michigan. Ohio State is still at the top of the heap, but Michigan will be relegated to the middle of the pack this year. Ohio State is still an elite team and may go through the Big Ten undefeated and have another shot at the national title.

After Ohio State, there are no more elite teams in the Big Ten. Wisconsin and Illinois are very good and will be ranked for the whole season. Penn State is also pretty good and will probably finish the season as a ranked team.

The Big Ten is filled mainly with average to above average teams that will fill a bunch of bowl slots. Here is my predicted order of finish for the 2008 season. I predict 6 or 7 bowl bids for the Big Ten once again. 

Ohio State

Wisconsin

Illinois

Penn State

Purdue

Michigan

Indiana

Iowa

Michigan State

Northwestern

Minnesota 

Wisconsin and Illinois will battle for the second bowl slot. Both of these squads are pretty much equal, but I like Wisconsin’s schedule better. They get Ohio State, Penn State, and Illinois at home. Penn State will be a tough team to beat, but they don’t quite have the talent to make it past the top 3 schools.

From Purdue down to Michigan State, things in the Big Ten are a big jumble. All of these teams are virtually the same and all will hover around the .500 mark in the conference. I like Purdue the best because they may have the best QB in the conference in Curtis Painter and a good veteran coach.

Michigan is next simply because I think they have the most overall talent. The problem will be their struggles with their QB situation and making the transition under new coach Rich Rod. I actually like Indiana this year as well. They have a dynamic QB in Kellen Lewis and don’t have to play Ohio State. Indiana could easily finish just behind Penn State and get a better bowl bid.

Iowa and Michigan State can beat any of the middle teams in the Big Ten, but both have major questions that need to be answered. Michigan State is still struggling with QB issues and for some reason they just can’t seem to win close games. Iowa just doesn’t have the talent to compete with the big boys in the league, but they could pull off an upset on the right day.

Northwestern is not a horrible team and will play some close games in the league, but will not make a bowl game and will finish just ahead of the bottom dweller Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have fallen on hard times and will bring up the rear once again.

Here are the useless predictions

1. LSU (6-2, 11-2): The national champs lost a few talented guys, but they have plenty to spare. One of the best defenses in the nation last year may actually be better this year. They have talent and supreme speed at all positions. They have a great coaching staff, a great home field advantage, and they simply know how to win the big games. They are the cream of the crop in the incredibly deep SEC.

2. Auburn (5-3, 9-4): Auburn may actually have the most overall team speed in the SEC. The biggest worries at Auburn are how they are going to deal with the new spread offense and which quarterback is going to be the guy to lead the team. They can challenge LSU, Georgia, and Florida for the SEC title, but they have more questions than the big 3.

3. Alabama (4-4, 7-6): Its Saban’s 2^nd year and he has the recruits but not the experience. This will not be the year that Alabama makes it back to the elite of college football. They will probably finish with 7 to 9 wins and show flashes, but simply don’t have the experience or the depth at this point. Bama fans will have to wait until 2009 or 2010.

4. Mississippi State (4-4, 8-5): Sylvester Croom has done a great job making Mississippi State a competitive football team in the best conference in the nation. They will be hard pressed to better last year’s performance even though they may be a better team. They will probably finish .500 in the conference and finish 3^rd or 4^th depending on Alabama and Arkansas.

5. Arkansas (4-4, 8-5): Bobby Petrino has created some excitement, Casey Dick is a pretty good QB, and Michael Smith is a competent replacement at RB, but Arkansas will not challenge for anything more than the 3^rd spot in the SEC West. Most likely they will finish behind Alabama and Miss. St. They may even lose to Ole Miss and it wouldn’t be a shocker if they finished last in the SEC West. The conference is simply too deep and the line between last and 3^rd too thin.

6. Ole Miss (0-8, 3-9): One thing that can be said about the 2008 Ole Miss team is that they should be more exciting. They should also improve upon their win total. They have a new coach in Houston Nutt and a new QB in the talented Jevan Snead (transfer from Texas). They will probably finish at the bottom of this division, but still should not be taken lightly. They are returning 15 starters and will be dangerous on offense.

My predictions have LSU and Florida in the SEC Championship game. This would be re-match game from October 11 and will be a good one. It will highlight possibly the best offense in the nation going against the possibly the best defense in the nation.

I personally believe that LSU would win. In fact, I think LSU is the best team in the nation once again. Whether they get to the national championship game is another question. Having to battle through the SEC may give these guys one or more losses, which may keep them out of the national championship

It is prediction time.

1. Florida (5-3, 9-4): Yes, I am taking Florida over Georgia. I know the game between these two is in Georgia, but I just think Florida has too much team speed and Tim Tebow is the best offensive player in the nation. Of course, I would not be surprised if Georgia finished first, but I have to pick one. Emmanuel Moody and a better defense will be the reason for Florida’s improvement over last year.

2. Georgia (6-2, 11-2): Georgia is loaded and will challenge for the national championship, but they have to get out of the SEC first. I don’t think they will. They have some great skill players, but I don’t like their offensive line and I don’t think they have the overall team speed of Florida, LSU, or even Auburn—all of whom they must play.

3. Tennessee (6-2, 10-4): I don’t see Tennessee winning 10 games this season. They don’t have to play LSU, but they simply can’t match up to Auburn, Florida, or Georgia. They will be a solid team, and could conceivably upset one of the top teams. With a new QB and a new offensive coordinator, it is hard to gauge just how good they will be.

4. South Carolina (3-5, 6-6): South Carolina just may challenge Tennessee for the number 3 spot. Tommy Beecher may be a quarterback that Spurrier stays with for a whole season, and the defense should be improved. The schedule is brutal because of their conference, and they also play NC State and Clemson. In all reality, they will probably have the same record as last year.

5. Kentucky (3-5, 8-5): Kentucky started off last season like gangbusters. Andre Woodson is gone and so are a few other key players. If it is possible the SEC may be tougher than last year and this is not good news for Kentucky. They could be a pretty good team in any other conference, but they will finish near the bottom of the SEC.

6. Vanderbilt (2-6, 5-7): The traditional whipping boy of the SEC will play that role once again. The SEC is no place for Vanderbilt to build a winning tradition. They can bring in a few good recruits, but not enough to compete. It will be the same old same old for Vandy.

These teams are going to beat each other up all season, but it is surely a great time watching games in the SEC. I don’t know the numbers, but I think the most overtime games are played in the SEC. It is time to get going on this season and see just how good the SEC is going to be.

There is a pretty clear distinction between the top 3 teams in the Atlantic Division and the bottom 3 teams. Clemson, Wake Forest, and Boston College are the top 3 and are all comparable. FSU, NC State, and Maryland are the bottom 3 and are all pretty much the same .500 team.

Here are the predictions.

Clemson (5-3, 9-4): I suppose I will buy into the hype, even though Clemson NEVER lives up to it, and say Clemson will win the Atlantic. It will be close, and I would not be surprised if Wake or BC actually do win this side of the ACC. Clemson has loads of talent and playmakers and should take care of business.

Wake Forest (5-3, 9-4): Wake Forest is for real. They are beginning the season ranked for the first time in their history. They have a good QB in Riley Skinner, a star in the making at RB in Josh Adams, a good all-around football team, and a coach who knows how to get the most out of his guys.

Boston College (6-2, 11-3): Everyone seems to be down on the Eagles because of some of the guys they lost after last year. They will not be as good as they were in 2007, but this is still a good football team. Chris Crane is a 5^th year senior and the wide receivers are all talented and experienced. They have a good coach and a solid defense. They will be fine and will push Wake and Clemson for the Atlantic title.

Florida State (4-4, 7-6): This is where the drop off occurs. I am picking FSU ahead of the last 2 teams based only on their reputation and the fact that they still have some top quality talent. They will have a lot of suspension time during the beginning of the season, but they can overcome that to finish with about the same record as last year. They haven’t fallen as hard as Miami, but it will be a while before they dominate this conference again.

N.C. State (3-5, 5-7): N.C. State had a ton of injuries last year and was dealing with a new coach and a new system all together. If they can avoid the injury bug, they can be a pretty good football team. They will certainly be no push over for the big boys in the league and could easily finish ahead of FSU. The first game against South Carolina will tell a lot about this team.

Maryland (3-5, 6-7): Again, Maryland is not a bad team and could finish 4^th in this side of the division. They have some young talent, they have a good coach, and they could upset a couple of teams. Not a pushover, but they will not challenge for the top of the ACC.

So it appears that I have Clemson and Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game. Virginia Tech is the young team with lots of unproven talent, while Clemson has the big names that have already proven themselves. It should make for a great ACC Championship Game.

I am going with the Hokies to win this one for two reasons. The first reason being, I just can’t pick Clemson until they show me they can actually win. I am tired of all the preseason hype, and then they finish with 7 to 9 wins. The second reason being, I think the Hokies actually have more talent and a deeper team. Outside of the big names, Clemson is a bit lacking and they don’t have the 2^nd and 3^rd guys coming off the bench the way the Hokies do. By that point in the season, those young Hokie players will no longer be first year guys and will be flying all over the field.

This is my favorite time of the year: baseball pennant races and the playoffs, and the beginning of my favorite sport—college football. The season will get under way on Thursday night with Wake Forest taking on Baylor. It seems like the perfect time to take a look at some of the big boys in college football. Let’s begin with the ACC Coastal Division.

Last year the Coastal division of the ACC was won by Virginia Tech. They finished 7-1 in the conference and went on to defeat Boston College in the ACC Championship Game. Virginia Tech will once again be the favorites to win the Coastal division and many are picking them to win the ACC once again.

Here is my predicted order of finish with the team’s record last year.

1. Virginia Tech (7-1, 11-2): The Hokies lost a lot of guys to the NFL last year, 8 drafted and 5 others signed free agent contracts. They were hit hardest at defense and wide receiver. The top 4 receivers from last year are all gone, which will make things tough for what looks like will be a two quarterback system once again. The defense is young but extremely talented, and there is a whole stable full of young running backs waiting to prove themselves. The Hokies look to be one season away from contending for a national title, but have enough to win the ACC in 2008.

2. North Carolina (3-5, 4-8): Butch Davis, now in his second year, has added some good young talent to the UNC roster, and he will have them playing better. With T.J. Yates and Hakeem Nicks passing and catching behind an offensive line with a year under their collective belts, the UNC offense will be much improved, as will the defense. The Coastal division is a bit week this year, allowing Carolina a good shot at finishing 2^nd, but they don’t have the depth and overall talent level to contend with the Hokies.

3. Georgia Tech (4-4, 7-5): Many are predicting that Paul Johnson’s system will fail at Georgia Tech. I don’t think it will. I think it can still work in major college football, though I don’t think it will ever bring a national title to the Yellow Jackets. There is some good talent on the G.Tech team (Jonathan Dwyer is an excellent back) and they should finish around .500. They could easily beat out UNC for the 2^nd spot in the Coastal, but they will not push the Hokies.

4. Miami (2-6, 5-7): The Miami program is in shambles, but there is still some talent on this team. With player suspensions recently handed down, the season has started off badly before it has even started. Miami should improve on their 2-6 conference record from last season, but will be hard pressed to reach the .500 mark.

5. Virginia (6-2, 9-3): Virginia will be the most disappointing team in the league after their excellent 2007 season. They have simply lost too many guys on a team that didn’t have very good depth to begin with. The losses of Long to the NFL, their quarterback to academic issues, a rebuilt offensive line, and you have the makings for a long season in Charlottesville.

6. Duke (0-8, 1-11): Poor Duke. There really isn’t much to say other than there is optimism that new coach David Cutcliffe can get a couple of victories this season. I do think they will beat an ACC team this year and have a couple of out of conference wins. They will not be the worst team in the nation, but they will be the worse team in the ACC.

This may come as a shock to many of you, but the Bengals have agreed to a new contract with Chris Henry after they let him go just a few months ago. Henry will serve a four game suspension to start the season but then be back with the team that summarily dismissed him for his conduct. I suppose the fact that Henry hasn’t been arrested in the last couple of months means he is a changed man.

The Bengals kicked Henry off the team because they were trying to clean up their image and Henry was getting arrested every other day for something. He has been arrested 5 times since he became a member of the Bengals. Marvin Lewis had said that there was no way Henry would play again as a Bengal. I suppose Lewis will never be hired as a fortune teller, which will limit his job possibilities after he is fired at the end of the season.

We all knew that Henry was eventually going to sign with someone. There are too many other teams that are willing to take a chance, and he has the coveted skills. What gets me is that Henry really has never produced at the level that many think he is at. He has never had more than 605 receiving yards in a season or 36 catches. He is a big play threat, but he is even more of a threat to land in jail than become a NFL star.

The fact that it was the Bengals re-signing him is simply astounding to me. I have never heard of such hypocrisy. How could the Bengals even consider such a stupid move? The PR hit will be much more damaging that any positives that Henry can give on the field. He is not quite Pacman Jones, but he is in the same league.

I don’t know if Marvin Lewis made this decision or if it was those in upper management, but I have a feeling it was Lewis. With so many talented players in the league and even on those players on the fringe of the league, the Bengals could have found a receiver that could catch 35 balls for 600 yards without all the baggage, and who would at least be eligible for all 16 games.

This grand decision makes the Bengals look like the most foolish franchise this side of Green Bay.