We’re all busy people. I know between watching Hoda and Kathie Lee, mustering up the courage to cut my newborn’s finger nails and trying to figure out which college football players will score more touchdowns than other college football players I barely have time to take my 3-hour afternoon naps. I can’t even imagine how hectic it is going to be once I add tailgating and football games to the equation this week. It’s going to be a gargantuan challenge to watch all the games I need to see this season.
Thankfully my wife is a fan of lists and planning. So, taking a page out of her book, I’ve earmarked twelve games I cannot miss this season. This will allow me to better prioritize, which I recently deemed an area of improvement. So while the "normal" college football fan will be setting the DVR to capture the top national matchups between highly-ranked teams, I’ll be grilling brauts in anticipation of shootouts and those games that will involve our favorite college fantasy footballers.
As a fan of all things college football I’ve only allowed a team to be listed once, and all game times are ET.
Week One: Oregon at Boise State, Thursday, September 3rd, 10:15, ESPN
Fantasy Factors:
Boise: Kellen Moore, Jeremy Avery, D.J. Harper, Titus Young, Austin Pettis
Oregon: LeGarrette Blount, Jeremiah Masoli, Jamere Holland, Jeffrey Maehl, Ed Dickson
What to Expect:
Thanks to Boise marching into Eugene and emerging with a 37-32 victory in this game a season ago the rematch on the blue turf promises to be intriguing. And now that this one will be the Ducks’ first contest in 20 years without Mike Bellotti on the sideline in some capacity it becomes a must-see. Watch three prime backs: LeGarrette Blount, Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper run wild as two terrific quarterbacks go about their business in different ways.
Prediction: The Ducks exact a little revenge with a 36-34 win.
Week Two: Kansas at UTEP, Saturday, September 12th, 7:30, CBSC
Fantasy Factors:
UTEP: Trevor Vittatoe, Jeff Moturi, Kris Adams
Kansas: Todd Reesing, Jake Sharp, Dezmon Briscoe, Kerry Meier
What to Expect:
What, were you expecting USC @ Ohio State in this spot? Nope, the true fantasy fireworks will take place in El Paso, Texas as the Miners and their underrated offense get to welcome Kansas and their underrated offense. There have been more of these games of late, where a big boy travels to take on football’s version of a mid-major, and we love them; let’s call this game akin to Michigan State traveling to Dayton to play a little hoop. Trevor Vittatoe will knock down enough threes early to cause a whole lot of chaos, but ultimately it’ll be Reesing and his boys with a voracious fast break, leading to some Jake Sharp slams.
Prediction: UTEP hangs around for a while, but Kansas outlasts Mike Price’s boys, 47-30.
Week Three: West Virginia at Auburn, Saturday, September 19th, 7:45, ESPN or ESPN2
Fantasy Factors:
West Virginia: Jarrett Brown, Noel Devine, Jock Sanders
Auburn: Gus Malzahn, Chris Todd, Mario Fannin, Ben Tate, DeAngelo Benton
What to Expect:
I have no idea what we’ll see in this game. Because it could be something really cool or scary, we’ll call this one our gawker special. This could be a matchup of two explosive offenses just finding their wings, or it could be a serious bummer.
Prediction:
Both teams get off to slow starts until Auburn breaks free before the half. West Virginia hangs around but comes up a little short. Auburn wins 31-28
Week Four: Texas Tech at Houston, Saturday, September 26th, 9:15, ESPN2
Fantasy Factors:
Texas Tech: Taylor Potts, Baron Batch, Lyle Leong, Detron Lewis, Edward Britton
Houston: Case Keenum, Bryce Beall, Tyron Carrier, Patrick Edwards, Chaz Rodriguez, L.J. Castile
What to Expect:
A loud and well-oiled Houston crowd will be in attendance, as two of the nation’s most explosive offenses go head-to-head, and the country will have an opportunity to see one of college football’s up-and-coming coaches in Kevin Sumlin. It’ll be Keenum vs. Potts, Batch (hopefully) vs. Beall, and the deep Houston wide receiving corps vs. their counterparts from Lubbock. And rest assured that Mike Leach will do something interesting.
Prediction:
Like an unsuspecting young fella, the Red Raiders will not know what hit them once the Cougars have their way. Texas Tech falls, 46-38.
Week Five: USC at Cal, Saturday, October 3rd, 8:00, ABC
Fantasy Factors:
USC: Aaron Corp or Matt Barkley, Stafon Johnson, Joe McKnight, Damian Williams, Ronald Johnson, Blake Ayles
Cal: Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen, Marvin Jones, Michael Calvin
What to Expect:
Those football crazies at Berkeley may no longer be hanging out in trees, but rest assured they’ll be souped up on microbrews and chardonnay. This game will not be your uncle’s Pac-10 battle as both teams will likely wage the war on the ground, and with the likes of Best, Vereen, Johnson, McKnight, et al, who can blame Tedford or Carroll?
Prediction:
USC outlasts the Bears, 31-21, and we’ll once again have to wait for a Pac-10 passing of the torch.
Week Six: Florida at LSU, Saturday, October 10th, 8:00, CBS
Fantasy Factors:
Florida: Tim Tebow, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson, Riley Cooper, Aaron Hernandez
LSU: Charles Scott, Jordan Jefferson, Brandon LaFell, Terrance Toliver, Richard Dickson
What to Expect:
This is the type of game that can cause one to cash out the frequent flyer points, and tell the wife you'll see her in a couple of days. Baton Rouge. Saturday night. Tebow taking the national champs down to see a LSU team hell-bent on making amends for a mediocre (by their lofty standards) 2008. This one will be a little more explosive than many think. And the outstanding Gator defense will find that Les Miles and Gary Crowton have a few surprises waiting for them.
Prediction:
LSU in a thriller, 31-30.
Week Seven: Oklahoma vs. Texas, Dallas, October 17th, 12:00, ABC
Fantasy Factors:
Texas: Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley, Malcolm Williams, Chris Whaley, Cody Johnson
Oklahoma: Sam Bradford, DeMarco Murray, Chris Brown, Jermaine Gresham, Cameron Kenney
What to Expect:
You ever get the feeling that some games shouldn’t be played at night, just because? This one proves to be one of the most explosive contests in the history of the incredible rivalry, the type of game where one stays by the television set up at the tailgate and misses kickoff of his own game just to sneak a peek live. We could very well be looking at a battle between the 2008 Heisman winner and the gent who’ll be crowned the following month. One team will move it on the ground and the air, while the other will just wing it through the air.
Prediction: The Sooners exact a little revenge in that week’s version of the Game of the Year, 41-38
Week Eight: Oklahoma State at Baylor, Saturday, October 24th, TBA, TBA
Fantasy Factors:
Oklahoma State: Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, Dez Bryant, Jamal Mosley
Baylor: Robert Griffin, Jay Finley, Kendall Wright, David Gettis
What to Expect:
Two of the nation’s most versatile and dynamic quarterbacks will go head-to-head. Zac Robinson has become the current face of the Oklahoma State program while Robert Griffin may one day rival Mike Singletary as the greatest to ever matriculate and play in Waco. Both coaches will spread it out and dare the other to stop him.
Prediction:
Oklahoma State outlasts Baylor in yet another Big XII shootout, 46-33.
Week Nine: SMU at Tulsa, Saturday, October 31st, 2:00, TBA
Fantasy Factors:
SMU: Bo Levi Mitchell, Aldrick Robinson, Emmanuel Sanders
Tulsa: Jacob Bower or G.J. Kinne, Charles Clay, Jamad Williams, Damaris Johnson, Slick Shelley
What to Expect:
I know, I know. It’s our third consecutive game that involves a team from Texas against a team from Oklahoma. Is there any lingering doubt as to where the greatest college fantasy football games will be played in 2009? Though this game begins in the early afternoon, attendees will want to inform those at home that they may not be back in time for dinner. There won’t be a whole lot of grind-it-out drives as June Jones and Todd Graham match wits and explosive offensive units.
Prediction: SMU is getting there, and they’ll hang around in this one. However home field makes the difference; Tulsa wins 47-41.
Week Ten: Navy at Notre Dame, Saturday, November 7th, 2:30, NBC
Fantasy Factors:
Navy: Ricky Dobbs, Alexander Teich, Marcus Curry, Cory Finnerty
Notre Dame: Jimmy Clausen, Armando Allen, Michael Floyd, Golden Tate, Kyle Rudolph
What to Expect: Anyone who saw last season’s game in Baltimore know the talent gap isn’t as wide as a bunch of Irish-Catholics in the Midwest would like you to believe. Navy will surprise the Irish with some timely shots down the field, while the Irish will unleash their considerable offensive firepower.
Prediction: Notre Dame emerges with a well-earned 34-24 victory.
Week Eleven: Missouri at Kansas State, Saturday, November 14th, TBA, TBA
Fantasy Factors:
Missouri: Blaine Gabbert, Derrick Washington, Jared Perry, Danario Alexander, Andrew Jones
Kansas State: Grant Gregory, Daniel Thomas, Brandon Banks
What to Expect:
I don’t know what to expect, but by this point in the season we’ll certainly know how things have played out. Was Gabbert able to step right in and keep the train rolling? Was Derrick Washington able to gain serious yards with so many of his friends gone? Did Grant Gregory travel halfway across the country with good reason? And did Daniel Thomas and Brandon Banks emerge as dual-threat producers?
Prediction: Bill Snyder gets a huge win before a thankful crowd, 38-37
Week Twelve: Ohio State at Michigan, Saturday, November 21st, TBA, ABC
Fantasy Factors:
Ohio State: Terrelle Pryor, Daniel Herron, Jaamal Berry, Dane Sanzenbacher, DeVier Posey
Michigan: Tate Forcier, Brandon Minor
What to Expect:
I tried to avoid this one, but truth be told, my self-imposed "one team" rule made it pretty tough by this point. Still this game will not be without intrigue. One criticism of Mr. Rodriguez’s spread is the belief that it will be ineffective against big, bad defenses, especially in cold weather. This game will provide a very nice test. We’ll also see if young Tate Forcier made it through the season in one piece. The Buckeyes bring some serious offensive talent up to Ann Arbor, and Terrelle Pryor will give the Michigan faithful a first-hand look at what might have been.
Prediction: The Buckeye dominance continues with a hard-fought 24-17 win.
It's enough to wish summer away.