Stay tuned to these posts, because every week we will be reviewing the top College and NFL football news. So, without further delay, here is our breakdown from week 1 college football:
1) USC - Questions Answered: If there ever were any doubt about this football team and their quarterback, this doubt has been addressed. Sanchez looked like a star quarterback and showed remarkable ability to throw off his gimpy leg. Further, what impresses me, is their merciless defensive effort as they held the Cavs to only 7 points, and they had to struggle to get those points. The fact is this defense will carry this USC team, even if the offense sputters. But, I don't see them sputtering with Gable and McKnight out of the backfield if Sanchez has a bad day.
2) Beanie Wells - Injury Status: Ohio State looked solid, but bad news is it came at a price. RB Beanie Wells was banged up on the goal-line and the injury will be addressed this week. We will keep an eye on the situation and update you as we move along.
3) Missouri Tigers - Live Up to the Hype! All summer long this team has been hyped and the game against Illinois was hyped. By far, the game did live up to expectations. The Tigers were chalked as the 10 point favorites, and they won by exactly 10 points. What was most impressive was Jeremy Maclin who returned a kick for a TD and had a slew of catches. The only problem is, he had to be carried off the field towards the end of the game with a foot injury. Chase Daniel looked solid in his debut, he will be a Heisman candidate, along with Jeremy Maclin.
Juice Williams also negated any doubt about his passing ability as he tossed 3 critical TD's and almost had another one in the 4th quarter. Look for Williams and this Illinois offense to find their identity in a few more games. The absence of Rashard Mendenhall was a serious factor as they struggled to run the football against the Mizzou defense.
4) ECU Pirates - Upset? Was this really an upset? Sure, on paper they were getting 9.5 points. But, this was against a VT team that has questions at many positions and lost most of their starters in the off-season. Nice punt block in the 4th quarter by the way, ECU covered and won outright as a 9.5 chalk, mighty impressive for week 1.
5) APP State - Dud! While the nation hyped this game up, what they forgot is that LSU is a much different team than Michigan. They are bigger, faster, and better. Even their 2nd string could beat Michigan. While the Mountaineers are respectfully a solid team in their conference, please stay in your conference! Your playing with teams loaded with NFL talent, in fact this LSU team could give a few NFL teams a run for their money, at least for 2 quarters ;)
6) PITT - Upset? Again, we have a team that is too high up in the preseason ranking polls. The Panthers sure did beat WVA last year, but this team was never a top 25 team - sorry Pittsburgh fans. They are respectfully a 30-40 ranked team and have no business in the top 25 this year. Congrats Bowling Green, you got another big win!
7) ACC - Not Looking Good: Well, the ACC is struggling for the most part. Sure, UNC and Duke did get wins yesterday, but slowly this conference is losing face. Maryland hardly snuck by Delaware winning by only 7 points. Wake Forest will be the headliner for this conference, and make no mistake this is a weak conference right now. Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State, and Virginia were all destroyed by bigger and better conferences.
8) What Happened to Clemson? I think Cullen harper got worst in the off-season. This Clemson team looked like a slow, tired group compared to this mediocre Alabama team. GIve credit to the Tide for being prepared as Nick Saban has been haunted by this game for 3 months. Nice cover as the 4.5 underdog to actually win outright.
9) SEC Powerhouses: Once again, the bigs dominated in week 1 from the SEC conference. Make no mistake about it, this is the best conference in college football. Auburn, LSU, Florida, and Georgia respectfully demolished their opposition as they should. Can Tennessee do the same on Monday night against UCLA?
10) Michigan Loses their Opener - Again! Looks like the new head coach has no answers for a team that seriously lacks talent in every single position. Let's leave it at that. Rich, you have your work cut out!
We hope you have enjoyed week 1 college football news and notes. By the way, we posted a 3-1-1 ATS record this week with our college football picks. If your looking to make serious money betting on college football this year, you should check out our College Football Betting Package that will give you 5-10 College Football picks per week that include full detailed analysis and sides for each game.
