FROM THE BENCH : Can Miami slow down Florida’s Tim Tebow?
Posted on Wednesday, September 3, 2008
One down, eleven more weeks to go in the 2008 college football season.
On the opening weekend, who would have thought that East Carolina would knock off No. 17 Virginia Tech, 27-22, or the Arkansas Razorbacks would have trouble beating Division I-AA Western Illinois ?
Better yet, who would have picked Arkansas State University to go into hostile Kyle Field and upset the Texas A & M Aggies in head coach Mike Sherman's inaugural game.
And, to top things off, how about that UCLA-Tennessee overtime thriller at the Rose Bowl ? Could it get any better ?
In my first week of predictions, I was right on line for the most part, picking 21 of 24 games correct.
Not too shabby.
In Week Two, look for a few more upsets in the Top 25, as well as some shining moments by several potential Heisman Trophy contenders (Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Oklahoma's sophomore signal caller Sam Bradford ).
This week's game of the week is a classic battle between two traditionally-rich Florida programs - the Florida Gators and the Miami Hurricanes.
No. 5 Florida, led by 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, will receive its first test of the season against a much-improved Hurricanes team that routed Charleston Southern, 52-7 last Thursday.
Even though it was a picnic for the Hurricanes in Week 1, their second game will be much closer.
Tebow and the Gators will survive a late fourth-quarter rally and beat the Hurricanes. FLORIDA, 28-21.
No. 1 Georgia vs. Central Michigan... Can you say cupcake schedule ? First off, Georgia Southern. Now, Central Michigan. Who's next, Nettleton ? GEORGIA, 55-17.
No. 2 Ohio State vs. Ohio... The Buckeyes could be without starting tailback Chris "Beanie"Wells, who sustained an ankle injury in the season opener, but once again, it won't matter.
Wells needs to get healthy, so he'll be ready to run wild on the No. 3 ranked USC Trojans. OHIO STATE, 45-10.
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. Cincinnati... Chalk up another huge win for the Sooners. Oklahoma could be playing the Cincinnati Bengals and still walk away with a 20-point victory. The only team to give Oklahoma a battle this season will be the Missouri Tigers in the Big 12 Championship. OKLAHOMA, 42-14.
No. 6 Missouri vs. Southeastern Missouri State... The Tigers proved they belong in the Top 10 with their stellar offensive performance in a 52-42 victory over Illinois in the season opener. Sophomore sensation Jeremy Maclin may be dinged up, but head coach Gary Pinkel would be smart to keep him on the sideline and let him rest. Chase Daniel will throw for 400-plus yards as Ol' Mizzou rolls to 2-0. MISSOURI, 51-14.
No. 7 LSU vs. Troy... The only thing that could stop the defending national champion Tigers from staying unbeaten is Hurricane Gustav. Look for LSU to cruise past Troy with a Harvard transfer at quarterback. LSU, 41-21.
No. 8 West Virginia at East Carolina... The Mountaineers shouldn't take East Carolina too lightly. The Pirates could be this year's'Surprise Team'. Look what they did already in Blacksburg. EAST CAROLINA, 14-10.
No. 9 Clemson vs. Citadel... One thing is certain, Clemson will not have to hear'Sweet Home Alabama' for a while. First, the Tigers lose to Auburn in the 2007 Chik-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, and then get embarrassed by Alabama a year later in the same stadium.
Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden welcomes a much easier opponent in the Citadel. CLEMSON, 30-7.
No. 10 Auburn vs. Southern Mississippi... Rumor out of Southern Mississippi is Brett Favre is returning to play quarterback. Auburn's defense may be in for a long day, especially the secondary. Look for Southern Mississippi to stun Auburn. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI, 21-17.
No. 11 Texas vs. Texas-El Paso... Everything is big in the Lone Star State, including Texas Longhorns football. The Austin Westlake Chaparrals, a perennial high school powerhouse, could suit up in place of the Longhorns and still beat UTEP. TEXAS, 66-10.
No. 12 Texas Tech at Nevada... See Georgia's prediction. Mike Leach will get the Red Raiders in the Top 10 by way of their cupcake schedule. QB Graham Harrell also will have passed for 2, 000 yards before Big 12 Conference play starts in three weeks. TEXAS TECH, 55-17.
No. 13 Wisconsin vs. Marshall... The Thundering Herd will watch'We Are Marshall' before Saturday's game, but it won't matter because Wisconsin is the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. WISCONSIN, 35-7.
No. 14 Kansas vs. Louisiana Tech... The Bulldogs are flying high after beating Mississippi State in their season-opener. Things will be a little tougher in Week 2 for LA Tech. The Jayhawks are not just a basketball school anymore. If you think I'm joking, just ask Dorothy and Toto. KANSAS, 24-10.
No. 15 Arizona State vs. Stanford... Stanford is looking for its second PAC-10 win of the 2008 season. Arizona State is electrifying on offense, but go with former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh and the Cardinal in this juggernaut battle. STANFORD, 20-17.
No. 16 BYU at Washington... The Washington Huskies will be 0-2 after this non-conference thrashing. Head coach Tyrone Willingham may be looking for a job in 2009. Washington gets BYU this week and Oklahoma next week. Ouch ! BYU, 44-9.
No. 17 Virginia Tech vs. Furman... After last week's setback to East Carolina, Frank Beamer and the Hokies are not taking any team lightly anymore. VIRGINIA TECH, 28-3.
No. 19 South Florida at Central Florida... South Florida continues its quest toward another Cinderella season. SOUTH FLORIDA, 27-17.
No. 20 Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois... The Illini are mad after falling to Missouri in Week 1. The most famous alum for Eastern Illinois these days is Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Tony Romo. ILLINOIS, 41-13. No. 21 Oregon vs. Utah State... Too much offense for the Aggies to stop. The Ducks are better than their ranking. OREGON, 40-10. No. 22 Penn State vs. Oregon State... Joe Paterno can pass Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden on the all-time win list with a victory over the Beavers. PENN STATE, 24-13. No. 23 Wake Forest vs. Ole Miss... Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe nearly replaced Houston Nutt at Arkansas. Nutt and the Rebels will get their first test of the season against Demon Deacons. OLE MISS, 34-24. No. 24 Alabama vs. Tulane... Roll Tide Roll ! Nick Saban has Bama fans excited again. Julio Jones, a red-hot freshman receiver, will catch three touchdowns as Alabama rolls past Tulane. ALABAMA, 49-7. No. 25 Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo... If Buffalo head coach Turner Gill had any eligibility remaining, the Bison might have a chance. Gill was a standout quarterback for Nebraska. PITTSBURGH, 30-13.
NON-CONFERENCE Arkansas vs. Louisiana-Monroe (at Little Rock )... The Razorbacks should learn from Alabama's mistake of 2007. Please, please don't look past Louisiana-Monroe. They are dangerous and better than Western Illinois. Next week's showdown with Texas can wait. ARKANSAS, 34-17. (Tim Ritter is the sports editor for the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader. He can be reached by email timothyr @ nwanews. com. or by phone at (479 ) 524-5144. )
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