This week’s college top games got off to an early start with the number 3 Oregon Ducks meeting (5) Stanford on Thursday night. Since we are going to highlight that affair, why not just take a look at how numbers 1 through 5 fared, minus (4) Ohio State who took the week off. I apologize in advance for perhaps wasting your time documenting the Seminoles dismantling of the lowly Demon Deacons, but it does illustrate how good this team from Tallahassee can be. Florida State 59, Wake Forest 3 62-7, 54-6, 59-3 = 175-16. Those are the combined scores in 3 of Florida States wins against unranked opponents. 63-0, 51-14, 41-14 = 155-28. Those are the combined scores of 3 Seminole victories versus ranked foes. And I didn’t even include the 41-13 season opening triumph against Pittsburgh who beat Notre Dame Saturday night. Do you see a trend here? While the QB wearing jersey number 5, freshman Jameis Winston did nothing to hurt his chances as a Heisman hopeful, the Florida State defense did more than its part contributing to this “W”. Six interceptions, one returned for a TD and another TD on a fumble recovery that occurred on the next play from scrimmage, sealed the deal early in the second quarter for Florida State. There was also a 97 yard kickoff return by Levonte Whitfield (#7) just to be sure special teams didn’t feel left out. The win all but insures a trip to the ACC Championship game for the Seminoles and a likely matchup against Alabama (Winston’s home state) for the national crown. Alabama 38, LSU 17 This game essentially came down to one play. With the score tied at 17-17 early in the 3rd quarter, Nick Saban called for a fake punt with the ball at the Crimson tide 41 yard line. It changed the flow of the game and catapulted (1) Alabama to a 38-17 victory against (13) LSU. A.J. McCarron remained in the Heisman picture too, with number 10 throwing 3 TD passes. T.J. Yeldon (#4) ran for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns accounting for the rest of the TD total. GAME OF THE WEEK Stanford 26, Oregon 20 The weekend got off to a flying start with (3) Oregon meeting (5) Stanford in a nationally televised affair. This one even gave the NFL’s Thursday Night matchup a run for its ratings. The Cardinals 26-20 victory, found the weekend ending with Stanford at number 4 and the Oregon Ducks falling to 6 in the national rankings. It also saw Stanford take a half game lead over Oregon in the Pac-12 North, while both teams now have an overall mark of 8-1. This game was the story of two quarterbacks, both wearing jersey number 8. Kevin Hogan wore the red one and was methodical leading the home team Cardinals to a 23-0 advantage entering the fourth quarter. The other 8 was an emerald green against white worn by the Ducks Marcus Mariota who was virtually shut down by Stanford’s defense before a 4th quarter rally, in which he threw for 2 touchdowns, came up short. Oregon ultimately ran out of time after failing to cover an onside kick which essentially ended the game as Stanford ran out the clock. The football season will be winding down in the coming weeks. You can always support your college team by wearing a football jersey or T-shirt.
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Week number 8 of the NCAA football season was a virtual potpourri of upsets and blowouts. The SEC East was hit particularly hard with losses by Georgia (to Vanderbilt) and South Carolina (to Tennessee). In the meantime, Missouri has proven once and for all they are for real with a sound beating of the Florida Gators. Things were no better in the SEC West where Texas A&M dropped a shootout with Auburn (this week’s GAME OF THE WEEK) and LSU was also upset. The nation’s number one team, Alabama easily rolled to a triumph over Arkansas. This begs the question, are we ready for a Tigers versus Tide SEC Championship game? If so, are we prepared for a 30 point “Bama” victory? The most hyped game of the week was a dismal disappointment, so let’s start our recaps there. Florida State 51, Clemson 14 This was billed as the ACC game of the year and perhaps one of the conferences biggest ever.So exactly what went wrong for (3) Clemson in front of over 80,000 Tiger fans Saturday night in their 51-14 loss to (5) Florida State? You can start with a red shirt freshman QB wearing jersey number 5, Jameis Winston, who threw for 444 yards and 3 touchdowns. WR Rashad Greene (#80) was on the receiving end of 2 of the TD’S as part of his 146 yards including a 72 yard sprint to the end zone in the 2nd quarter. You knew it was going to be a long day for Clemson QB Tajh Boyd (jersey #10) when his first quarter fumble resulted in a 37 yard touchdown by the Seminoles Mario Edwards after he picked up the ball. Boyd’s stat line besides the fumble read 17/37, 156 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. Tennessee 23, South Carolina 21 Volunteer fans were treated to one of the most exciting games of the day when Tennessee came back to win a thriller 23-21 over (11) South Carolina in Knoxville Saturday afternoon. Michael Palardy lived up to his number 1 jersey number by splitting the uprights on a 19 yard field goal as the game clock expired. Palardy’s heroics were set up by an unbelievable one handed catch by the Vols WR Marquez North (#8) good for 39 yards to keep the game’s final drive alive. GAME OF THE WEEK Auburn 45, Texas A&M 41 The shootout at the OK Corral had nothing on the one that occurred in College Station, Texas Saturday afternoon. Nick Marshall, wearing jersey number 14 was the main gunslinger for (24) Auburn as they beat (and battered) Johnny Manziel (#2) and (7) Texas A&M 45-41. To put the victory in perspective, the Tigers did not win a single game in the SEC last season and lost to the Aggies 63-21 a year ago. QB Marshall had a pair of touchdowns through the air and personally ran in another 2 in this back and forth battle that ended with RB Tre Mason (#21) running the ball in from 5 yards out with 1:19 remaining in the game. Manziel was his normal dynamic self, passing for 4 TD’s of his own and compiling 454 yards via the air. He also had a rushing touchdown, but appeared to hurt his right shoulder in the 4th quarter and continually seemed to be favoring it the remainder of the contest. Support your team by sporting a college T-shirt or jersey on game day. Week 6 of the NCAA football season found some Heisman Trophy hopefuls ramping up their performances in quest of the coveted crown.
Clemson QB Tajh Boyd and his counterpart wearing jersey number 5 for Florida State, Jameis Winston, both led their teams to victories versus ACC opponents. In two weeks they will be across the field from one and other in a “Mano a Mano” Heisman matchup. Two SEC QB’s also made good showings, with Alabama’s A.J. McCarron getting back on track and Georgia’s Aaron Murray leading the Bulldogs to victory. Oregon’s QB Marcus Mariota did nothing to lose any votes in the Heisman race while Ohio States Braxton Miller did drop a notch in spite of the Buckeyes come from behind win against Northwestern in the Big 10 game of the week. Stanford 31, Washington 28 In a matchup of unbeaten Pac-12 teams all you needed to do was keep an eye on “Lucky 7” jersey wearer Ty Montgomery. The junior wide receiver had 290 all-purpose yards (204 on kick returns) and 2 touchdowns to lead the (5) Stanford Cardinals to a 31-28 victory over (15) Washington. One of his scores came on a 99 yard return of the game’s opening kickoff. Overall the Huskies outgained the Cards 489 yards to 284, but could not contain Montgomery. Washington also had 30 first downs to Stanford’s 14. Ohio State 40, Northwestern 30 This was one of the more highly anticipated encounters of the Big 10 schedule. Could the (16) Wildcats with all-purpose QB Kain Colter (#2) halt the (4) Buckeyes 17 game win streak? Ultimately the answer was no, although Northwestern did lead 23-20 to begin the 4th quarter. The Wildcats also led 30 -27 at the 9:10 mark of the final frame, but 30 would be their final tally while Ohio State scored 13 more points to win it 40-30. Colter did his part, even catching a pass from his QB counterpart Trevor Siemian (unlucky #13 ?) for a touchdown and running in for another from 2 yards out. Buckeyes QB, Braxton Miller did not play well, throwing for only 203 yards and not a single TD. RB Carlos Hyde provided most of the offense with 168 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. Unfortunately with all the progress Northwestern has made with their football program they have still not learned how to close teams out, especially good ones like Ohio State. GAME OF THE WEEK Georgia 34, Tennessee 31 This turned out to be the week’s most exciting affair, even with Tennessee entering play at 0-1 in the SEC and Georgia boasting a 2-0 mark in the conference. Bulldogs QB, Aaron Murray ( lucky #11 ?) became the Southeastern Conference career leader in passing yards while leading Georgia to a 34-31 overtime victory over the Volunteers. Murray threw a touchdown pass with just 5 ticks remaining on the game clock to force the OT. Kicker Marshall Morgan finished things off with a 42 yard field goal in the extra session. Display your college team pride wearing a customized football jersey. While week 4 of the 2013 NCAA football season was marked by some incredible blowouts, there were also a few closer games worth noting. The number 3 Clemson Tigers held off an always dangerous pack of wolves from North Carolina State. In one of the more entertaining games of the week, Boise State dropped its second game of this early season and in essence dropped out of contention for a national crown. Perhaps the worst played game on Saturday saw Florida get back on track after their loss 2 weeks ago to Miami with a win over Tennessee, albeit while losing starting QB Jeff Driscoll for the season. GAMES OF THE “WEAK” Iowa 59, Western Michigan 3 The Hawkeyes are not even considered an upper echelon team in the Big 10, but that did not stop them from trouncing the not so bucking Broncos of Western Michigan (0-3). Iowa’s defense was solid and 2 punt returns on consecutive kicks by Kevonte Martin-Manley (jersey no.11) sealed the deal. Louisville 72, Florida International 0 Did anyone check to see if Rick Pitino was on the sidelines for the Cardinals? Perhaps his hoopsters snuck onto the field in shoulder pads to tally the 72 points. Maybe FIU should rethink its “playing the big boys” philosophy after this one where they mustered all of 30 yards on offense to Louisville’s 464. Ohio State 76, Florida Atlantic 0 Another “little engine that could” found out they can’t in the day’s worst blowout of all. The next two weeks should present more of a challenge to the Buckeyes when they open the Big 10 campaign against the Wisconsin Badgers and NorthwesternWildcats. Clemson 26, North Carolina State 14 It was another good week for the ACC, but no one enjoyed the success more than the Clemson Tigers on the ESPN national televised affair Thursday night. Two years ago NC State dashed the Tigers high expectations by bringing them down to earth in a come from behind Wolfpack victory by the score of 37-13. Last year they dashed the national title bid of Florida State by beating them as well. Clemson QB Tajh Boyd (#10) was having none of that in this one, throwing for 244 yards and 3 TD’s. Fresno State 41, Boise State 40 The Bulldogs entered the national conversation while the Broncos left the building with a 41-40 comeback victory by Fresno State over Boise State. Little brother Derek Carr may have come into his own in this one and gave “big bro” David of the NY Giants a big hug after the game winning drive with just 2:14 remaining on the clock. Derek (#4) was 39 of 60 for 460 yards which included 4 touchdown tosses. Florida 31, Tennessee 17 Two SEC teams faced off on Saturday with one of them badly in need of a win. The Florida Gators won the game, but lost the services of starting QB Jeff Driscoll for the season with a broken leg. Now Florida's fate rests on the arm (and legs) of jersey number 3, backup QB Tyler Murphy who ran for 84 yards after replacing the injured Driscoll. His biggest test waits on Oct. 12 when Florida visits LSU. It is the general sentiment in NCAA football circles that the SEC is the premier conference when it comes to gridiron activities. This is certainly a solid premise based on the likes of two time defending national champion, Alabama, along with Florida, Georgia and even Johnny Football (Manziel) at Texas A&M being members of the Southeast. However, this year’s Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has raised some eyebrows just 2 weeks into the 2013 campaign. (8)Clemson’s upset of (5) Georgia in week 1 began the interest and then “The U” of Miami shocked the NCAA pigskin world with their 21-16 victory vs. (12) Florida. You now have 8 of 14 ACC teams undefeated, albeit very early in the process and another 4 at an even 1-1. Fans of Syracuse must be the most disappointed, with the Orange being the only 0-2 ACC entry. They were at least competitive against the Penn State Nittany Lions losing 23-17 on 8/31. The same cannot be said for the 2nd week matchup with Northwestern. They dropped that one 48-27 with QB Drew Allen being benched after throwing 4 picks. The Orange defense allowed the Wildcats to live up to their name and “go wild” with 581 yards of total offense. The schedule makers did Syracuse no favors when they slated them to play 2 Big Ten teams to start the year. One of the new arrivals to the ACC this year, Pittsburgh (0-1) lost as expected to a very good Florida State team and then had a chance to regroup with an early bye in week 2. Fortunately for the Panthers they will not meet a foe as good as the Seminoles the rest of the season. The Wake Forest Deacons seemingly switched spots in the ACC hierarchy with Boston College when the boys from Beantown beat the Demon Deacons 24-10 on September 6. In any event, those 2 teams along with NC State, Duke and Maryland, as well as Virginia and Virginia Tech figure to make up the middle of the ACC standings in 2013. Now let’s proceed back to the top of the conference. At this point you have to like the Clemson Tigers. The win against Georgia while somewhat surprising was no fluke and they are currently ranked 3rd in the nation by the Associated Press. Their expected win against South Carolina State solidified their standing given the 52-13 final. Florida State will face a decent, but very beatable team from Nevada on 9/14 when they meet the Wolf Pack in their own lair. It will be interesting to see if QB Jameis Winston (jersey no.5) will be able to be near the 25 of 27 pace for 4 touchdowns he achieved against Pitt in week 1. The Miami Hurricanes will have to improve on offense to maintain the momentum gained in the upset of Florida. If they do, they should be present in the ACC top 5 all year. Georgia Tech and North Carolina round out the ACC top 5 for now. The Yellow Jackets have one of the toughest early season schedules and the Tar Heels defense has been suspect thus far. The second week of the 2013 NCAA football season began with a bang in South Beach where 2 teams from the Sunshine State met with an unlikely outcome. This marked the second upset in as many weeks by the ACC over the SEC.
Georgia was on the wrong end of the ledger in last week’s surprise outcome, but came back with a significant win over South Carolina. Saturday ended with the weekend’s most hyped game featuring 2 heavyweights from South Bend and Ann Arbor. Miami 21, Florida 16 Who would have predicted that the Hurricanes would never trail in this game, let alone win it? Perhaps Miami fans, but I believe even they were a bit surprised. The unranked “Canes” got off to an early lead and never looked back while forcing 5 turnovers versus number 12 Florida. Number 17 in the orange jersey, QB Stephen Jackson led the way for the “U” with a touchdown pass on the team’s first offensive possession and added another shortly thereafter. While his overall stats were not over the top (12 of 25, 163 yards, 2 TD) he did just enough to keep Miami in the game until RB Duke Johnson (#8) scored on a rushing play with 3:39 left on the clock. Georgia 41, South Carolina 30 Unlike Jackson in the Miami victory, Georgia’s QB Aaron Murray put up a stats line worthy of the ages. Maybe we should start with his 4 TD throws in (11) Georgia’s 41-30 win over (6) South Carolina. His 309 total yards through the air was also quite impressive. After the Bulldogs dropped the season’s opening contest to Clemson, the win enables them to rekindle their fans hopes of an appearance in the national championship game. The Gamecocks drop to 0-1 in the SEC East (1-1 overall), while Georgia claims win number 1 in the same division, while also being 1-1 for the season. Ole Miss (1-0, 2-0) leads the SEC West. GAME OF THE WEEK Michigan 41, Notre Dame 30 In what may be the Fighting Irish’s last visit to Ann Arbor in some time, the Wolverine’s sent them off in a rude fashion Saturday night with a victory before a record crowd of 115,109. The score was the same 41-30 as the Georgia/SC matchup played a few hours earlier in Athens. Michigan QB Devon Gardner also matched the 4 touchdown throws by the Bulldogs Aaron Murray while coming up just shy of equaling his overall passing yards, finishing with 294. Gardner was decked out in a number 98 jersey to honor who many believe was the greatest Wolverine football player to ever don the uniform, halfback, Tom Harmon. (14) Notre Dame gave it the old “college try” before succumbing to (17) Michigan’s vaulted offensive attack. They pulled within 4 points with 9:13 remaining on a 40 yard field goal. Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees (#11) was 29 of 51 for 314 yards, 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Even though it is very early on in the process, this win may indicate that Michigan is in fact on course to meet Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship game as has been widely expected. Whatever team you follow, be sure to be ready for a tailgate party. Pack your team cooler and wear your college jersey. The 2013 NCAA football season is upon us. It seems like just yesterday when Alabama and Notre Dame were meeting for the national title which actually occurred on January 7th. I apologize to Fighting Irish fans everywhere for that reminder. So who will meet for the 2014 national trophy (that is of course except for most likely Alabama again)? Perhaps it will be a member of the Big 12. We will take a quick look at the oddly named Big 12 Conference, given there are only 10 members, beginning with the lower tier of teams and working our way to the top. Kansas Jayhawk fans enjoyed all of one victory last year with “legend in his own mind” Charlie Weis at the helm. To make matters worse, the one win came against South Dakota. The offense has a potential difference maker in running back, James Sims (jersey no. 29), who has run for 9 touchdowns in each of the last 3 seasons (27 total).The Jayhawks enter the 2013 campaign on a 21 game, Big 12 losing streak. Both Iowa State and West Virginia were disappointments to Cyclone fans and Mountaineer fans respectively with Iowa State finishing 6-7 and West Virginia starting 5-0 only to go 0-5 before ending the season at 7-6. Gone is luckynumber 7, QB Geno Smith to the “Big Apple” NFL Jets. TCU has the potential to surprise even their own Horned Frog fans this season. Much will depend upon how QB Casey Pachall (#4) comes back from the personal issues he was forced to address last year. Texas Tech has a new coach in Kliff Kingsbury who may find it tough to replace Tommy Tuberville. QB Seth Doege is also gone making the task even more difficult. Red Raiders fans hope the defense can make up for a weak offense. In the Lone Star State, Coach Mack Brown is on one of the hottest seats in college football. Longhorn fans won’t stand for another 5-4 campaign. Whether Brown survives has everything to do with the play of Belton, Texas native QB David Ash (#14). Another Big 12 coach will have his hands full this year, with him being Bob Stoops. Stoops is a well-respected presence on the Sooners sideline, but replacing QB Landry Jones and top WR Kenny Stills will be nearly impossible. Their replacements are Blake “Belldozer” Bell at quarterback wearing popular jersey number 10 and senior RB Damien Williams (#26). The sky in Waco, Texas may be the limit for Bears fans if Baylor begins 2013 the way they ended 2012. Their 4 game winning streak at last years end included victories against Kansas State, Oklahoma State and UCLA in the Holiday Bowl. Speaking of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, they have 7 of last year’s 11 starters returning on each side of the ball. They have perhaps the best pass defense in the conference and may be poised to make a run at the Big 12 crown if they can find stability at quarterback. Finally, you have to like Kansas State to repeat as Big 12 champs. It won’t be easy after losing 10 players on defense along with last year’s Heisman Trophy candidate QB Collin Klein. The main thing fans wearing the Wildcat jersey in Manhattan have going for them is the conference’s best coach in Bill Snyder who is entering his 22nd season. In 2012, eight teams from the Pac 12 emerged with winning records. West coast NCAA college football fans can now look forward to better competition in general besides just that seen at USC and Oregon recently. Three quarters of the schools will be returning at least 15 starters and the same number (8) will have their starting QB back too. Perhaps the days of the “Wild West” have returned. Let’s first do a quick process of elimination as to which teams are definitely not the best. Golden Bears fans will experience a rough road as California, winner of just 3 games last year have less talent in 2013. That could make it one long journey for new coach Sonny Dykes. Mike Macintyre is another new coach in the Pac 12 attempting to improve a herd of Colorado Buffaloes who had a single win to their credit last season while ranking second to last in defense and dead last in offense. Washington State Cougar fans were disappointed in Coach Mike Leach last season after he arrived with high expectations following his departure from Texas Tech under questionable circumstances. His career mark leading the Red Raiders was 84-43; His first year in Pullman resulted in a 3-9 record (1-8 in the Pac 12). Utah has no business even being in this conference! Next… Now let’s proceed with teams that look like they will wind up in the middle of the “Pac”. The other team in Washington, the Huskies, has a chance to make some noise with underrated senior QB, Keith Price (jersey number 17) throwing to 6’6”, 276 lb. highly rated TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (#88). Arizona State could surprise some people including Sun Devil fans, but a brutal schedule is in the offing that includes matchups with both Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Even with a tough slate of games this team is good enough to be bowl eligible in 2013. UCLA will always have a chance to win with QB, number 17 Brent Hundley in the game. This baby faced sophomore threw for 3745 yards and 29 touchdowns as a freshman last year. The Bruins secondary is weak and their road schedule will not be easy to navigate. Running back Ka’Deem Carey (#25) will “carey” the Arizona Wildcats as far as they are able to go in 2013. This will more than likely be a low level postseason bowl. We have now come to the cream of the crop in the Pac-12 this season. These 4 teams, in order from 4th to 1st should comprise the upper third of the conference. USC – Even with Coach Lane Kiffen calling the plays he won’t be able to stop USC from being good in 2013. They have so much talent any true Trojans fan could lead them to victory. Eight wins should be attainable. Stanford – The Cardinals have the best defense in the conference. If QB Kevin Hogan (jersey # 8) lives up to expectations this should be a 10 win season. Oregon State – Beavers fans were even surprised when their team won 9 games last year. Their defense might be shy of Stanford’s overall quality, but at times is a turnover machine. Eleven wins is not an impossibility which could make for an interesting competition with another team that calls the Beaver State home. Oregon – Look for the Ducks and their fans to happily be flying into Pasadena on New Year’s Day. An easy schedule and continued good play by Hawaiian QB Marcus Mariota (#8) and RB De’Anthony Thomas (#6) should make up for the departure of Coach Chip Kelly to the NFL. If you’re a Big 10 college football fan it’s time to plan your weekends around the conference gridiron schedule. Most of
the teams will begin their seasons on Saturday, August 31. Legends Division Minnesota – Golden Gopher fans may be taking their coach’s last name literally when asked what to do with Jerry Kill’s program should it suffer another unsuccessful campaign. Minnesota was just 2-6 in the Big Ten last year and 6-7 overall. Nines are wild when it comes to jersey numbers this year on both sides of the ball. The offense will be in the hands of sophomore QB, #9 Philip Nelson. They also should have a capable power running game with 8 offensive linemen returning. The defensive line is also in good shape with 6’6”, 311 lb. Ra’Shede Hageman (#99) being asked to fill the void left by D.L. Wilhite. Iowa – The Hawkeyes are without an experienced quarterback. The competition is between sophomore Jake Rudock (#15) and JC transfer Cody Sukol (#19). The defense should be solid but they lost their top pass rusher who, even with him, finished last in the Big Ten in sacks with just 13 last year. Michigan State – Mark Dantonio is a good enough coach to deliver 9 wins to Spartans fans even with 14 returning starters from a team that was 7-6 one year ago (3-5 Big Ten). The running game is weak and the defensive line shaky, but an easy early schedule should help. Nebraska – The offense IS quarterback Taylor Martinez. Twenty three TD’s through the air and 10 more rushing in 2012 is all you need to know about number 3. A weak defense will make it rough for the Cornhuskers to duplicate their 7-1 2012 Big Ten record. Northwestern – Wildcats fans were treated to their teams first bowl win in 64 years with the Gator Bowl win vs. Mississippi State last year. More good things will be in store on offense with the return of running back Venric Mark (#5). The defense will need improvement, especially in the secondary to have another successful run. Michigan – Wolverines fans expect to face Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and with good reason. QB Devin Gardner (#12) is not the departed Denard Robinson, but he is capable of leading the Wolverines way. The defense is sound. Leaders Division Illinois - It looks like another long season for Fighting Illini fans. It appears as if Coach Tim Beckham doesn’t have a clue what to do with the little talent left to him from Ron Zook. Senior quarterback Nathan Scheelhasse (#2) has a strong arm but no one to throw to. Purdue - The Boilermakers don’t have the talent to compete this year. They have a capable QB and running backs on offense but no quality receivers. The defense has many starters returning, but they’ll have to perform better than last year to give Purdue fans something to cheer about. Indiana – Hoosier fans will enjoy the teams’ very easy home schedule in Bloomington which should equal some wins, but not much more, with a 3-way quarterback controversy and terrible defense. Penn State – After enduring the horrible situation surrounding Jerry Sandusky, Nittany Lions fans deserve better and should receive it thanks to great coaching by Bill O’Brien and the running of “ZZ Top” Zack Zwinak (#28) if he can remain healthy. Wisconsin – After 3 straight losses in the Rose Bowl, Badgers fans are looking to new Coach Gary Andersen to complete the job this year. Wisconsin’s best player is linebacker, Chris Borland who wears jersey number 44. Ohio State - Clearly the best team in the Big Ten, Buckeye fans can enjoy a run to the “Roses” and beyond now that Ohio State is “bowl eligible” after last year’s sanctions. Another unbeaten season is likely, so let the party begin! The Southeastern Conference has been triumphant in the last 7 BCS Championship games.
If you’re a SEC college football fan it’s time to plan your weekends around the conference gridiron schedule. Most of the teams will begin their seasons on Saturday, August 31. Even before the actual weekend hits, fans in the Carolinas will be afforded the opportunity to watch their teams compete on Thursday night, August 29th. That is when the ACC NC Tar Heels meets SEC South Carolina in the season’s first contest. The affair will be held in Columbia, SC, but for those of you who prefer not to make the journey across state lines, the game will be televised nationally on ESPN at 6ET. More good news according to Coach Steve Spurrier will have South Carolina Heisman hopeful, Jadeveon Clowney, on the field despite his recent injury in practice. Before competing in head to head competition, the SEC will get the opportunity to exhibit just how good they are on that initial Saturday against teams from other leagues. Once again Alabama Crimson Tide fans can tune their HD flat screens or other assorted mobile devices to ESPN when the Tide collides with Virginia Tech at 5:30ET with the game being played in Atlanta. More “must see” SEC TV will follow pitting the Georgia Bulldogs against the Clemson Tigers. Over the next two weeks early pivotal match-ups will occur between the University of Florida and Miami (Sept.7) that any self-respecting Gator fans or Hurricane watcher won’t want to miss. An early inner SEC contest will be on that same day featuring South Carolina and Georgia. On Sept.14 you’ll have Tennessee Volunteer fans travelling to the far northwest for an early test against Oregon. Perhaps the most compelling game of the first month of the season will find last year’s BCS Champion Alabama Crimson Tide travelling to College Station, Texas to meet the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and now controversial Texas A&M Aggies QB, Johnny Manziel(#2) Other matchups that SEC fans will not want to miss during the season Includes: Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville on Nov.2 Ole Miss at Mississippi State Thanksgiving evening (11/28) once again brought to you by the “Worldwide leader in Sports” (ESPN) and the Razorbacks of Arkansas/LSU rivalry on Fri. 11/29. Don’t forget any of the 14 SEC teams that will be battling on a weekly basis including Vanderbilt, Missouri and Kentucky of the East Division and Auburn in the West. Any one of them has a chance to appear in the SEC Championship game on Dec. 7 which concludes the 2013 regular schedule and sets things up for the postseason. If past history is any indication, you will want to have an authentic SEC jersey handy at the end of December and early January to display your college allegiance at whichever Bowl game your team is appearing. Oh yes, another date to circle on your 2014 calendar is that of Jan.6 when the BCS Championship Game will take place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. |
AuthorI love college sports, especially football. You may not always agree with me, but you will see I'm passionate. Archives
September 2017
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